The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Monday said funding shortages had forced it to cut food assistance in Gaza by around one-third, leaving around 5,00,000 people without monthly food support.
“The cuts come as winter approaches and recent modest improvements in food security remain fragile,” the WFP said in a release.
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The agency said that from this month, it is supporting 1.1 million people in Gaza with food and cash assistance, down from 1.6 million last month. The food rations have been halved, it added.
Families receiving food assistance will receive one food parcel, instead of two, and a smaller bag of wheat flour.
In addition, WFP has also reduced the value of cash assistance provided to 75,000 families.
The number of daily hot meals for those unable to cook has fallen to 150,000 from 250,000, with some families in hard-to-reach areas now receiving a hot meal only every other day.
{{/usCountry}}The number of daily hot meals for those unable to cook has fallen to 150,000 from 250,000, with some families in hard-to-reach areas now receiving a hot meal only every other day.
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Gaza ceasefire and reconstruction
Last year's US-brokered Gaza ceasefire calls for the eventual reconstruction of the territory.
A US-brokered Gaza ceasefire agreed upon last year called for the eventual reconstruction of the territory.
However, little progress has been made towards implementing a deal to end the conflict that includes terms for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its troops, according to Reuters.
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Acting Executive Director of the WFP Carl Skau told Reuters in Gaza, "It's a year into the agreement of this ceasefire. Well, life is still brutal here. There is no proper shelter. There are no basic services. There is no safety, no security."
"These cuts are happening just as we are facing the fourth winter. You know, I've been through the winters here, absolutely brutal," he noted.
"We tell the world now is, this is, not the time to look away. This is the time to step up to sustain this support, to protect the progress that has been made, but also to push for early recovery," Skau stated.
Meanwhile, the WFP, in the statement, noted that it urgently needs USD 450 million over the next six months to maintain critical operations in Gaza and the West Bank.
(with inputs from Reuters)