The United Nations has raised alarm over worsening humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, warning that critical food supplies have been drastically reduced amid ongoing access restrictions and logistical challenges.

Speaking during the daily press briefing at UN Headquarters, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, outlined the latest humanitarian updates concerning the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), humanitarian partners distributed food rations to approximately 200,000 families in February, nearly one million people.

Additionally, more than 1.7 million meals were prepared through over 180 community kitchens operating across the Gaza Strip. Free bread was also delivered to more than 400 shelters and displacement sites.

However, Dujarric emphasized that food rations have been cut by half this month due to insufficient supplies entering Gaza. Around two-thirds of aid trucks attempting to pass through the Egypt corridor were reportedly turned back.

Inside Gaza, coordinated humanitarian operations with Israeli authorities continue to face significant obstacles. Of ten missions planned on Monday, only four were facilitated, including the collection of fuel, tents and baby kits from the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing.

Five missions were impeded, while a request to assess a water, sanitation and hygiene facility in North Gaza was denied entirely, further complicating relief efforts.

On the health front, UN partners report a growing number of people living with disabilities. Many individuals have undergone amputations, while others suffer from spinal cord and brain trauma. Hundreds of new traumatic injuries have been recorded since the ceasefire.

These patients face mounting challenges under Gaza’s already fragile health system, particularly as the entry of prosthetics and other essential medical devices remains heavily restricted. The UN and its partners have called for the removal of impediments to allow the scaling up of medical assistance.

This week alone, more than 10,000 people, including women, children, frontline workers and caregivers, received mental health and psychosocial support.

The United Nations reiterated its call for unimpeded humanitarian access to ensure sustained support for Gaza’s civilian population as conditions remain dire.