TEHRAN, Nov. 30 (MNA) – Ongoing hostilities continue to put Palestinians at grave risk in the Gaza Strip, particularly civilians trying to survive the Israeli siege in the north, UN humanitarians said.

Xhinua reported, citing Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini of the UN relief agency for Palestinians, known as UNRWA, on Friday that the ongoing military operation in the north has uprooted 130,000 people over the past seven weeks.

In northern Gaza, including Gaza City, a critical shortage of cooking gas has forced families to rely on burning waste for fuel, which raises the risk of respiratory infections at a time when healthcare services are minimal, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The World Food Programme (WFP) reported that as the hunger crisis worsens, prices of basic food items have surged by over 1,000 percent compared to pre-hostility levels.

The agency said that it is critical that bakeries remain open and that the flow of essential supplies for them -- including wheat and fuel -- is sustained.

UN humanitarian partners reported there is also a critical shortage of adequate shelter for hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the hostilities across Gaza. Less than a quarter of shelter needs in the Gaza Strip have been met, leaving nearly 1 million people at risk of exposure to harsh conditions as winter nears.

AMK/PR