UN food agency: 1.4 million people in Gaza face acute food shortages
The UN's World Food Programme says 1.4 million people in Gaza are suffering acute food shortages. Funding gaps are forcing cuts to critical aid, even though a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel is in place.
The World Food Programme, the United Nations agency that delivers food aid to crisis-hit regions, says 1.4 million people in the Gaza Strip are suffering acute food shortages. This is happening despite a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas that was brokered by the United States.
According to the programme, funding gaps are forcing cutbacks in critical aid. In other words, even with the fighting paused, a lack of money is limiting how much assistance can be delivered.
The head of the programme described conditions in the territory by saying that life in Gaza is "absolutely brutal."
Why it matters
The ceasefire was meant to mark a turning point, but the UN agency's warning shows the humanitarian situation remains severe. Without sufficient funding, aid organisations cannot provide the support that is needed. The source does not specify which parts of the aid are being reduced or how large the funding shortfall is.
