The World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a major scale-up of its humanitarian operations in Gaza following the implementation of a ceasefire, which has opened access for aid agencies to reach communities that have been cut off from essential assistance. After two years of devastating conflict, food systems in the territory are in ruins, and hundreds of thousands of displaced families continue to face severe shortages of basic necessities. With improved access, WFP plans to restore its regular food distribution network and expand its support through 145 distribution points across Gaza.
In the first three months of the renewed operation, WFP aims to provide life-saving food assistance to up to 1.6 million people—about 320,000 families—through the distribution of bread, wheat flour, and family food parcels. The agency is increasing the number of supported bakeries from 10 to 30, significantly boosting bread availability. Currently, 100,000 bundles of fresh bread (2 kg each) are being produced daily for affected communities. WFP is also expanding its nutritional programs for pregnant and breastfeeding women to address growing malnutrition risks among vulnerable groups.
To ensure support reaches those unable to access distribution sites—such as women, widows, single mothers, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities—WFP is scaling up its digital payment program. Around 140,000 people have already benefited from this initiative, which enables the purchase of food in local markets. The agency plans to double this program in the coming weeks to increase coverage and flexibility for the most food-insecure households.
Beyond direct food aid, WFP continues to provide logistics coordination for the wider humanitarian response, including emergency telecommunications and food security sector management to ensure efficient delivery of assistance in partnership with other agencies. Currently, over 170,000 metric tons of WFP-managed food commodities are ready for dispatch or en route through Ashdod, Egypt, Jordan, and the West Bank. This stockpile is sufficient to feed Gaza’s population of more than two million people for up to three months. However, scaling up requires swift clearance procedures at ports, secure and unhindered access, and the restoration of key infrastructure and storage facilities.
Despite ongoing challenges, WFP remains committed to reaching people wherever they are amid widespread displacement and insecurity. The agency stressed that the ceasefire must hold and that stability and law enforcement issues in Gaza must be addressed to ensure effective humanitarian delivery. With full implementation of the ceasefire, WFP aims to operate at the scale required to meet the massive humanitarian needs and support long-term recovery efforts in Gaza.
