Aid funding shortfalls threaten Gazans' livelihood

Aid funding shortfalls for Gaza trigger cutbacks in services, threatening some water-scarce civilians to choose between hygiene and hydration, UN humanitarians said on Thursday.



The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that, nearly halfway through 2026, the 4.1 billion U.S. dollars required for the annual appeal for Gaza and the West Bank is less than 15 percent funded.



"As a result, humanitarian partners' ability to plan, pre-position relief and respond effectively is weakening at a time when most of Gaza's 2.1 million people remain displaced and heavily rely on their services," OCHA said in its daily humanitarian news update.



The office said that by the end of May, the shortfall forced four of its humanitarian partners to begin phasing out water trucking in Gaza, leaving more than 330,000 people across 250 sites at risk of losing their primary source of drinking water.



The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that water shortages force families into a trade-off between drinking and maintaining hygiene to prevent disease.