Gaza displaced protest World Central Kitchen meal cuts, warn of famine return

Dozens of displaced Palestinians gathered outside a World Central Kitchen distribution center in central Gaza to protest cuts in hot meal assistance, warning that the decision could push families back toward famine conditions. Outside the organization's distribution center in Al-Masdar village, men, women and children stood holding signs demanding the continuation of food aid and urging the charity to reverse its decision.

Protest action

Some protesters beat empty cooking pots they carried during the demonstration, expressing anger over cuts they said threatened one of the few remaining lifelines for displaced families. World Central Kitchen said the decision was "driven entirely by financial pressure" and did not reflect any reduction in humanitarian need inside Gaza. The organization said it would continue delivering hundreds of thousands of hot meals daily after previously serving 1 million meals a day.

Famine warnings

An elderly displaced Palestinian woman told Anadolu that families relied almost entirely on charitable kitchens for survival. "We depend completely on these meals. We cannot afford food, and we have no cooking gas or even wood to use as an alternative," she said. "If these cuts continue, famine will return," she warned.

Call for reversal

Abdel Hadi Muslim, one of the protest organizers, said thousands of families in the Bureij and Maghazi refugee camps had already lost access to daily meals. He called on World Central Kitchen to reverse the cuts and urged international institutions and donors to continue supporting relief organizations.

Gaza hunger crisis

According to the World Food Programme, 1.6 million people in Gaza face severe food insecurity. Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza since 2007, and its war since October 2023 has killed more than 72,000 people.