As food assistance wanes, Palestinians face the prospect of hunger

Palestinians in Gaza face worsening humanitarian conditions as the United Nations had to slash food assistance due to funding shortages, deepening food insecurity for thousands of families who rely on aid to survive.

The UN has cut food assistance to 500,000 Palestinians in Gaza and 200,000 in the West Bank due to a serious funding shortage, the head of the U.N. food agency said Monday.

"Three years on and we’ve been suffering. Three years on and we’ve been living in a back and forth of aid being given and scaled back. Where do we get supplies? We are humans, not animals," said Eid Abu Ashma, a displaced man from northern Gaza who now lives in a displacement camp south Deir al-Balah.

Carl Skau, acting head of the World Food Program, urged earlier this week the international community to provide $450 million so the agency could restore the cut assistance and provide hot meals and food parcels in Gaza and the West Bank for the next six months.

Because of the money shortage, the number of people receiving assistance was reduced this month from 1.6 million to 1.1 million in Gaza.

Adeeb Abu Samra, a displaced man from Beit Lahia, said the cuts will impact his family of six, who, like many in Gaza, rely heavily on aid to survive.

He warned that further reductions could worsen hunger and possibly push more families toward famine.