Amman, July 24 (Petra)-- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Friday that it will be forced to make deeper cuts to its humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip unless it receives urgent additional funding, as nearly 70 percent of the enclave's population relies on food aid to meet basic needs.

The warning comes days after the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report projected that more than two-thirds of Gaza's population could face acute hunger by the end of the year, amid declining humanitarian aid flows caused by funding shortages.

According to the WFP, most of Gaza's residents remain dependent on humanitarian assistance after two years of war, repeated displacement, and severe restrictions on the delivery of aid, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Speaking via video link from Rome, a WFP spokesperson said the agency would be forced to reduce assistance to people who depend on it for survival unless additional funding is secured.

The WFP requires more than $420 million to sustain its operations in Gaza and the West Bank through the end of the year.

The spokesperson said the agency has already begun scaling back its assistance. Cash support for 75,000 people was reduced by 25 percent in July, while food rations for around 220,000 households were cut in half. He warned that more extensive reductions will take effect by October if the funding crisis persists.

The WFP also noted that rising operational costs, driven by the war involving Iran, higher oil prices, and disruptions to global supply chains, have added to its financial pressures. However, it said the primary cause of the current funding shortfall is declining donor attention as international priorities shift toward other global crises.

//Petra// MF