The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reports that over 50,000 children in Gaza urgently need medical care for severe malnutrition.

In a Saturday release, the agency stated, "With ongoing restrictions on humanitarian access, the people in Gaza are enduring critical levels of hunger. UNRWA teams strive incessantly to deliver aid, but the conditions are dire."

UNICEF spokesperson James Elder spoke about the challenges in delivering aid within the war-torn coastal area of Gaza. “More aid workers have been killed in this conflict than in any other since the UN was founded,” he informed Al Jazeera.

On Wednesday, UNICEF aimed to transport a truckload of nutritional and medical supplies for 10,000 children, Elder noted. Despite having prior approval from Israeli authorities, the journey from Deir el-Balah to Gaza City, a 40km (25 miles) round trip, was severely delayed. “It took 13 hours, with eight of those spent at checkpoints, arguing about paperwork – whether it was a truck or a van,” he said.

"Ultimately, the truck was denied entry. Those 10,000 children did not receive the aid… Israel, as the occupying power, has the legal responsibility to facilitate the provision of aid."

One of the key land crossings in Rafah has been shut since Israeli forces captured the area early last month, exacerbating fears of famine in southern and central Gaza.

The UN’s World Food Programme Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau, who spent two days evaluating the Palestinians' situation this week, described the challenges as unprecedented. “The situation in southern Gaza is deteriorating rapidly. One million people are trapped in a congested area along the beach in the intense summer heat without clean water or sanitation. We drove through rivers of sewage.” revealed Skau.

For months, right-wing Israelis have been staging protests and blocking roads to prevent aid shipments from reaching Gaza, which has further hampered the delivery of vital aid to the region.

On Friday, the United States imposed sanctions on a “violent extremist” Israeli group responsible for obstructing and damaging humanitarian aid convoys to Gaza. The Group of Seven leaders also emphasized that UN agencies must operate without restrictions in Gaza.

UNRWA has also been in turmoil since January when Israel accused about a dozen of its 13,000 Gaza employees of participating in the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. This accusation led numerous nations, including the agency's primary donor, the US, to abruptly cut off funding, jeopardizing its aid delivery efforts.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini has consistently stated that Israel's funding suspensions amount to "additional collective punishment" for Palestinians already suffering from relentless Israeli bombardment.