A number of United Nations agencies on Thursday expressed their deep concerns about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) warned in a social media post that due to the shortage of aid supplies caused by the blockade, the Gaza Strip is grappling with “catastrophic hunger”, and 40 percent of the people are facing the risk of famine.

UNRWA reiterates its call for a humanitarian ceasefire as soon as possible to facilitate the access of more aid supplies to the Gaza Strip.

On the same day, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a report stating that since the outbreak of the current round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the human rights situation of Palestinians living in the West Bank has worsened day by day.

The report stated that between October 7 and December 27 alone, the Israeli army and law enforcement agencies killed at least 291 Palestinians in the West Bank, the highest number since records began in 2005. The office calls on Israel to immediately stop its unprovoked killings and detentions of Palestinians during law enforcement.

UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Adele Khodr also issued a statement on Thursday saying that this year has witnessed the highest number of child deaths in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

In the first 12 weeks since the outbreak of the conflict alone, 83 children had died in the West Bank due to conflict-related violence, more than double the number of children killed in the region in all of 2022. UNICEF is extremely concerned about the safety and survival rights of local children, according to the statement.

(Inputs from Reuters)