**UN Food Programme Reduces Assistance in West Bank and Gaza Amid Funding Shortfall**
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Tuesday that it will halve the scope of its food assistance in the occupied West Bank because of a shortfall in financing. The reduction will cut the number of beneficiaries from 400,000 to 200,000.
The funding constraints affect both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, the WFP provides cash, vouchers, food, livelihood programmes and nutritional services. The agency estimates that 900,000 people in the territory are food‑insecure. Shaun Hughes, WFP’s Country Director for Palestine, said the agency is “prioritising the most vulnerable while cutting assistance to others despite widespread needs.”
In Gaza, the WFP currently supports 1.5 million people, including one million who receive monthly food assistance. Claire Nevill, the agency’s spokesperson for the Palestinian territories, told the Associated Press that cash assistance is being reduced for roughly 75,000 families. The cash value of assistance for 375,000 people in Gaza was reduced by 40 percent in July.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the leading global authority on food insecurity, reported in July that conditions in Gaza have improved since parts of the territory were declared in famine last year, but warned that the situation remains at crisis levels.
The WFP says it requires an additional $386 million over the next six months to reach approximately two million food‑insecure individuals across Gaza and the West Bank. “We urge the international community to act immediately and step up support for Palestinians,” Hughes added.
The funding shortfall follows a broader decline in contributions from Western donors. The United States, which remained the largest single donor in 2025, saw its share of total UN contributions fall from more than one‑third to 15.6 percent after cuts implemented under the administration of President Donald Trump. Other Western nations have also reduced their donations, contributing to the financial constraints faced by UN humanitarian programmes worldwide.
Article and image source: aljazeera.com
