The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned it is forced to halve its support operations in the West Bank due to a financial crisis. The agency announced on Tuesday that budget restrictions compel it to scale back assistance, reducing the number of aid recipients from 400,000 to 200,000 people.
Globally, international aid organizations are struggling with funding shortfalls as the US leads a wave of major aid cuts, with several other Western countries also reducing their contributions.
Starting this month, food assistance for families in the West Bank—provided through cash, food vouchers, food parcels, livelihood programs, and nutrition services—will be reduced, WFP said in a statement. The funding shortfall is also affecting WFP's operations in the Gaza Strip.
The agency estimates that around 900,000 people in the West Bank are food insecure. WFP's Country Director for Palestine, Shaun Hughes, said that WFP is “prioritizing the most vulnerable while cutting support to others despite the immense need.”
In Gaza, WFP supports 1.5 million people, including 1 million who receive monthly food aid. The agency's spokesperson for the Palestinian territories, Claire Nevill, told the AP that they have begun cutting cash assistance to about 75,000 families in Gaza.
WFP also said the cash value of aid for 375,000 people in the Palestinian territories was reduced by 40% in July. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the situation in Gaza has improved compared to last year when famine was declared in some areas, but it remains at crisis levels.
WFP said it needs an additional $386 million over the next six months to serve roughly 2 million food-insecure people across Gaza and the West Bank. “We call on the international community to act immediately and increase support for Palestinians,” Hughes said.
The UN has launched its 2026 aid appeal at only half the actual needs, despite global humanitarian needs being at an all-time high. UN data shows the US remains the largest donor in 2025 despite cuts by President Donald Trump, but Washington's share of contributions has fallen from over one-third to 15.6%.
