Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that nearly 70% of those reported killed in Gaza are children and women. "This cannot be 'collateral damage'," he said.

He also said that 64 of his UNRWA colleagues had been killed in just over three weeks, "the highest number of UN aid workers killed in a conflict in such a short time."

Lazzarini called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and urged the Security Council to take action to end the violence and address the root causes of the conflict.

He said that the humanitarian situation in Gaza was dire, with more than 200,000 houses hit by israeli bombardment, 32,000 of them completely destroyed. He added that the occupancy rate in Gaza's hospitals had reached more than 150%, and that the health system was on the verge of collapse.

He also criticized the restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, saying that the system in place was "geared to fail" unless there was political will to make the flow of supplies meaningful.

"The handful of convoys being allowed through Rafah is nothing compared to the needs of over two million people trapped in Gaza," he said, referring to the sole border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

The Israeli offensive on Gaza began on October 7, after Palestinian resistance groups stormed across the border, killing 1,400 zionists, and seizing 230 hostages, according to israeli officials.

Hamas, the Palestinian group that controls Gaza, has demanded an end to the israeli blockade and siege of Gaza, as well as the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for a ceasefire. (ILKHA)