UN Agency Says It Will Be Forced to Scale Back Life-Saving Assistance Without Urgent Funding.
The UN World Food Programme warned on Friday that it will need to make deeper cuts to its humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip unless it receives urgent additional funding, at a time when roughly 70 percent of the territory’s population depends on food aid to meet their basic needs.
Hunger Numbers Set to Rise Sharply by December Despite Recent Improvement.
While acute food insecurity fell to around 1.2 million people between mid-April and the end of June, the WFP cautioned that this improvement is likely temporary, with the number projected to climb above 1.4 million people — roughly 67 percent of Gaza’s population — by December as aid continues to decline.
WFP Needs Over $420 Million to Sustain Operations in Gaza and West Bank Through Year’s End.
Speaking via video link from Rome, a WFP spokesperson said the organization requires more than $420 million to continue its operations in Gaza and the West Bank through the end of the year, warning that most of Gaza’s population remains dependent on relief after two years of war marked by repeated displacement and severe access restrictions.
The United Nations World Food Programme warned on Friday that it will be forced to implement broader cuts to its humanitarian assistance inside the Gaza Strip unless it secures urgent additional funding, at a time when approximately 70 percent of the territory’s roughly two million residents rely on the agency’s food aid to meet their most basic needs.
The warning came just days after the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification initiative, a global hunger-monitoring body, reported that more than two-thirds of Gaza’s population could face severe levels of hunger by the end of the year, as humanitarian organizations continue reducing the flow of aid due to funding shortfalls.
According to the IPC’s findings, the number of people facing acute hunger declined to approximately 1.2 million between mid-April and the end of June, reflecting a relative improvement in food security conditions during that period. However, the report cautioned that this progress may prove short-lived, with the number expected to rise again to more than 1.4 million people — equivalent to nearly 67 percent of Gaza’s population — by December, as assistance levels begin to decline.
A World Food Programme spokesperson, speaking via video link from Rome, said the majority of Gaza’s residents remain dependent on relief nearly two years into the war, compounded by repeated waves of displacement and severe restrictions on the delivery of aid. The spokesperson added that the organization will have no choice but to reduce assistance to people who rely on it for survival if the necessary funding does not materialize.
Ross Smith, the WFP’s Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response, said the agency would be forced to scale back the assistance that populations depend on to survive unless it receives additional funding in the coming period. He noted that the World Food Programme requires more than $420 million to continue its operations across Gaza and the West Bank through the end of the year, pointing to declining donor contributions as the primary driver of the funding crisis, compounded by rising transportation and logistics costs.
The World Food Programme called on the international community and donor countries to urgently provide the necessary funding to ensure the continued flow of food assistance and prevent a further deterioration of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
