Dozens of forcibly displaced Palestinians have gathered outside a World Central Kitchen distribution centre in central Gaza to protest cuts in hot meal assistance, warning that the decision could push families back towards famine conditions.

Outside the organisation's centre in Al-Masdar village, men, women and children stood holding signs urging the charity to reverse its decision.

Some protesters beat empty cooking pots, 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.

The organisation stated it would continue delivering hundreds of thousands of hot meals daily, having previously served one million meals a day following an expansion of operations.

An elderly displaced woman told reporters 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, warning that many had already gone days without eating.

Abdel Hadi Muslim, a protest organiser, said thousands in the Bureij and Maghazi refugee camps have already lost access to daily meals.

He called on international donors to continue supporting relief organisations.

This reduction follows a previous move where World Central Kitchen halted flour support to bakeries earlier this year.

According to the World Food Programme, 1.6 million people in Gaza face severe food insecurity.

Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the enclave since 2007, and its genocdie since October 2023 has killed more than 73,000 people.