The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that funding shortfalls are forcing drastic cuts to its aid programs in the Gaza Strip, leaving some 500,000 people without monthly food assistance in an area where two-thirds of the population already struggles to get enough to eat.
The WFP said it has reduced its planned monthly assistance from 1.6 million people to 1.1 million.
In addition, food rations have been halved, and cash assistance has been cut for some 75,000 families. The number of daily hot meals provided to people unable to cook has also been reduced from 250,000 to 150,000, and some families in hard-to-reach areas are now receiving only one hot meal every two days.