ROME (AP) — The United Nations' food agency announced on Tuesday that it is halving food assistance in the Israeli-occupied West Bank from 400,000 people to 200,000 due to severe funding shortages. The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) also indicated that further cuts in Gaza may be necessary, where it currently supports 1.5 million people.
The WFP stated that it will implement this reduction starting this month. In Gaza, the agency reduced the value of cash assistance by 40% for 375,000 individuals in July and warned that additional cuts will be unavoidable unless new funding is secured.
Claire Nevill, WFP spokesperson for the Palestinian territories, reported, "In Gaza we've already had to start reducing the amount of cash that we're giving to around 75,000 families. Now, the same is happening for WFP's West Bank operation."
The WFP has indicated that it urgently requires an additional $386 million over the next six months to assist an estimated 2 million food-insecure individuals across Gaza and the West Bank.
Nevill noted that the economic downturn, increasing settler violence, and loss of access to livestock and agricultural land have all contributed to worsening food security. She stated, "Just as the situation is getting worse and we should be scaling up to meet these needs, we're unfortunately having to scale back and effectively halve the amount of people that we can reach because of the lack of funding."
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a leading authority on food insecurity, reported in July that while the situation in Gaza has improved since famine was declared in parts of the territory last year, conditions remain at crisis levels.
In July, the WFP warned that funding shortages and donor fatigue could lead to deeper reductions in Gaza, stating that it needed more than $420 million to sustain operations in both Gaza and the West Bank through the end of the year.
According to the WFP's report, approximately 900,000 people in the West Bank are food insecure. Increased violence, displacement, and economic deterioration have disrupted livelihoods and deepened hunger, with food needs more than doubling since 2023.
Shaun Hughes, WFP's country director, stated, "Families who were once thriving and earning a living from their land are now unable to afford enough food." He added that the agency must prioritize the most vulnerable households while cutting assistance to others despite widespread need.
The WFP's latest food security analysis indicated that 76% of households in the West Bank have experienced a significant decline in income, with one-third unable to afford a nutritious diet. Food and fuel prices remain among the highest in the Middle East, impacting rural communities and the southern West Bank the hardest.
Humanitarian conditions in Gaza also remain severe. Recent U.N. figures show that about one in five families ate only one meal a day, and half reported running out of food entirely at least once in the previous month. Aid agencies have noted that cash shortages and rising food prices have made it increasingly difficult for families to obtain basic necessities.
The WFP reported that three-quarters of households in Gaza faced difficulties accessing markets in August. The U.N. and its partners recently distributed food parcels and wheat flour to over 600,000 people during the August aid cycle.
Despite a ceasefire signed by Israel and Hamas in October 2025, ongoing hostilities and security restrictions continue to hinder movement and recovery efforts, according to U.N. agencies. The U.N. has stated that more than 2 million people have been displaced during the conflict, with significant damage to Gaza's civilian infrastructure, including homes, hospitals, schools, and water facilities.