Funding shortfall forces WFP to end aid for 500,000 Gazans

The U.N. World Food Programme is cutting monthly food or cash assistance in Gaza for 500,000 people because of a funding shortfall, reducing the number it reaches from about 1.6 million to 1.1 million. The agency says roughly two-thirds of Gaza’s population remains acutely food insecure and needs humanitarian assistance, and that conditions have not improved enough to reduce aid. WFP officials said the cuts reflect a lack of funding, not an inability to deliver assistance; recipients will also receive reduced amounts.