Dr. Ismail Al-Thawabta, Director General of the Government Media Office, said that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is witnessing a very serious deterioration, in light of the rapidly declining ability of relief institutions to continue providing their humanitarian services, as a result of the acute funding crisis and the depletion of operational resources.
He stressed in statements to Al-Quds Al-Arabi that this matter directly affects hundreds of thousands of citizens who depend on daily food aid, in light of the war, the siege and the near-total collapse of the basic necessities of life.
Human fragility
He pointed out that field data indicates that the reductions in the work of the World Central Kitchen organization within the Gaza Strip are primarily due to a funding crisis and the sustainability of operational resources, and not to a decision to stop humanitarian work, which calls for urgent and responsible international action to ensure the continuation of humanitarian interventions and prevent their collapse in light of the worsening famine and the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe that the Strip is witnessing.
The management of the “World Central Kitchen” recently decided to lay off more than 500 employees and reduce the amount of cooked food provided to the hungry and impoverished residents of Gaza from one million meals to 200,000 meals, and also decided to close many of its community kitchens.
Al-Thawabta explained that during the past months, the “World Central Kitchen” played a pivotal humanitarian role in supporting the food security of the displaced and affected, noting that, at the peak of its operations, it was able to provide nearly one million meals a day through a wide network of field kitchens, distribution points, community partnerships and bakeries, in addition to providing about 73 million loaves of bread and millions of gallons of potable water.
He warned: “Any reduction, even partial, in the size of meals, operating hours, or geographical coverage will have serious and direct humanitarian repercussions for more than 250,000 families who depend on hot meals as their main or only source of food, especially within shelters and displacement areas that are experiencing catastrophic levels of food insecurity and malnutrition, particularly among children, the sick, and the elderly.”
Al-Thawabta stressed, during , that the continuation of these reductions would further exacerbate the state of humanitarian fragility and increase the risks of famine and malnutrition-related diseases, at a time when the health, economic and service sectors are suffering from a widespread collapse as a result of the war, the siege, the closure of crossings and the prevention of the flow of basic needs.
He said: “In light of this, the moral, humanitarian and legal responsibility lies with the international community, donor countries, and UN and relief organizations to take urgent action to provide emergency and sustainable funding that ensures the continued operation of humanitarian and relief organizations, foremost among them the World Central Kitchen, in order to maintain a minimum level of food security and prevent the spread of hunger and famine in the Gaza Strip.”
Global Kitchen Cuts
He stressed that ensuring the continuity of humanitarian work is not limited to providing funding only, but also requires ensuring the flow of food supplies, fuel and operational supplies, and lifting restrictions that impede the access of humanitarian aid, in order to enable relief organizations to perform their humanitarian duty in a regular and sustainable manner, and to preserve the right of civilians to food and humanitarian assistance in accordance with the provisions of international humanitarian law and relevant international conventions.
It should be noted that the “World Central Kitchen” in the Gaza Strip, despite the fragile humanitarian situation and the continued spread of hunger and poverty due to the Israeli war, decided to reduce its services by significantly decreasing the number of meals. It announced that it would return in the coming days to the meal service levels that were in place before the ceasefire in October 2015, which necessitates reducing the exceptional operational increase that reached one million meals per day.
He noted that the decision was imposed by severe financial pressures, stressing that the need in Gaza remains extremely high and has not decreased, and that the organization will continue to provide hundreds of thousands of hot meals daily to maintain one of the world's largest relief operations.
According to the World Central Kitchen, it has invested over half a billion dollars since the start of the war to feed the population, relying on donations from individuals around the world. This puts a limit on its ability to continue an operation of this scale indefinitely on its own. It called on governments and international organizations to increase their support and take action commensurate with the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.
This was followed by popular protests organized by displaced people and residents of the Gaza Strip, alongside a protest by employees of the World Central Kitchen who had been laid off. Residents fear a return to the famine that plagued them during the period of the strict Israeli blockade before the ceasefire agreement. The protest, held in front of one of the World Central Kitchen's branches in Deir al-Balah, included elderly men, widows, and orphans, who held up protest signs.
International warnings
The World Food Programme confirms that approximately 1.6 million people in the Gaza Strip, or about 77% of the total population, are facing high levels of acute food insecurity.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that funding shortfalls are hampering humanitarian operations in the occupied Palestinian territory, leaving more people hungry or without access to basic services. Speaking about the dire crises in Gaza, OCHA emphasized that the 2026 emergency appeal, which seeks just over $4 billion to support nearly three million people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, has received only 12 percent of the required funding, with just $490 million received to date.
The UN office stated that one of the clear effects of this situation is evident in the field of food aid, noting that its working partners report that the private sector is not currently providing enough nutritious, varied and affordable food, and that as a result, one in five families is eating only one meal a day, while mothers are depriving themselves of food so that their children can find something to eat.
It should be noted that, in addition to the lack of funding, the Israeli occupation authorities impose a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip, do not adhere to the terms of the humanitarian protocol of the ceasefire agreement, and only allow the entry of one-third of the daily amount of aid to the population.
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