A recent UN-backed report has warned that famine is imminent in northern Gaza, where virtually no aid arrived last month.
Joyce Msuya, acting secretary-general of the United Nations for humanitarian affairs, said that international crimes are being committed in Gaza.
Ms Msuya briefed members of the United Nations council on Tuesday, saying Israeli authorities were blocking humanitarian aid from entering northern Gaza, where fighting continues.
She said 75,000 people remain there with dwindling supplies.
Last month, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken gave Israel 30 days to ensure the daily arrival of more aid trucks to Gaza. That deadline expired on Tuesday.
A letter to the Israeli government demanded the country end its isolation of the besieged north, where aid groups warn civilians are starving to death amid Israel’s military offensive.
This was reported by a group of eight humanitarian aid agencies conditions actually worsened after the letter was sent.
But the US response on Tuesday indicated that Washington would continue to supply weapons to its ally despite mounting warnings from aid groups about civilian deaths and displacement from Israel’s offensive in the north.
The Israeli military, however, said it was curbing the resurgence of Hamas in the region.
Israel says it has significantly increased the amount of aid flowing into Gaza and accuses humanitarian agencies of inadequately distributing it.
In Beit Hanoun, which has been under siege for more than a month, Ms Msuya said food and water reached shelters on Monday only for Israeli soldiers to forcibly evict people from the areas on Tuesday.
Ilse Kehris, the UN’s assistant secretary-general for human rights, said the pattern and frequency of Israel’s attacks indicated a systematic attack on civilians.
Much of the death and destruction was caused by American weapons given to Israel to help fight Hamas.
Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas after the group attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people; Another 251 people were taken hostage.
Since then, more than 43,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
