UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said the number of daily meals provided to citizens in the Gaza Strip decreased by 70 percent this week compared to last week.

In statements made at a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday, he stressed the importance of UN teams entering Gaza and identifying citizens' needs on the ground.

He pointed out that the number of daily meals in the Gaza Strip decreased from 840,000 meals last week to 260,000, a 70 percent decline.

Dujarric stressed that humanitarian aid is not limited to food alone.

He pointed out the need to provide water, health, nutrition, education, and protection services directly to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The UN spokesman warned that fuel is running out in health and water facilities in the Gaza Strip, which Israel has maintained a tight blockade on since last March.

He added: "Healthcare in Gaza is on the brink of collapse, with hospitals facing large numbers of wounded amid a severe shortage of basic supplies, equipment, blood, and medical personnel."

The World Health Organization had previously stated that preventing immediate access to food and essential supplies in the Gaza Strip was causing "further deaths and a slide into famine."

She pointed to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis released on Monday, which stated that 470,000 Gazans are facing "catastrophic levels of hunger (IPC Phase 5)," and that the entire population is suffering from severe food insecurity.

The report also noted that approximately 71,000 children and more than 17,000 mothers are expected to require urgent treatment for severe malnutrition.