UN officials have accused Israel of “systematically” withholding aid to stricken Palestinians in Gaza, and warned that at least a quarter of Gaza’s population could be a mere blip from famine without immediate aid.

The warning on Tuesday came as footage from northern Gaza showed Israeli forces firing on Palestinians who had gathered to collect food in the area.

It was not immediately clear whether the shooting resulted in casualties or injuries.

Israel’s war on Gaza, now into its fifth month, has killed at least 29,878 Palestinians, mostly women and children. The Israeli offense began when Hamas launched attacks inside Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,139 people and taking 253 hostage.

After Israel launched a military campaign against the Gaza Strip, which included daily airstrikes, ground operations in northern and central Gaza, and the closure of all but one crossing point in the area, Israel retaliated against a major Palestinian enclave. It has devastated parts and created a worsening but serious humanitarian crisis.

“We are witnessing at least 576,000 people in Gaza at the end of February – a quarter of the population – about to face severe famine,” said Ramesh Rajasingham, the deputy head of the United Nations humanitarian agency (UNHA).

He told a meeting on food security in Gaza that one in six children under the age of two in northern Gaza suffers from severe malnutrition and virtually all of the 2.3 million people in the Palestinian enclave need to survive.

He further added, that if nothing is done imediately, we fear that a large-scale famine in Gaza is almost inevitable and that there will be many more victims of this conflict.

Rajasingham added that the United Nations and aid groups “face many obstacles to getting minimal supplies into Gaza,” including the closure of crossings, restrictions on movement and communications, strict vetting Procedures, unrest, damaged roads and unexploded ordnance.

In Geneva, another UNHA spokesman, Jens Laerke, told reporters that Israel’s actions had made it almost impossible to get aid to Gaza.

The World Food Program (WFP) has said it is “ready to rapidly expand and scale up its operations if a ceasefire agreement is reached”.

Meanwhile, WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skow said “the inability to deliver essential food supplies in sufficient quantities to Gaza and the near-impossible operating conditions facing our staff on the ground are increasing the risk of famine”.

WFP suspended food aid to northern Gaza earlier this month after its aid convoy came under Israeli fire, which has been almost completely cut off since late October.

UN agencies say that in recent weeks, Israeli authorities have blocked all aid convoys north of the area. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), they were last allowed to enter on January 23.

A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said hundreds of trucks loaded with aid were waiting at the border between Gaza and Egypt.

He said that about 1,000 trucks are ready to transport 15,000 metric tons of food in Egypt. However, Israel has stopped transporting aid.

Speaking at the UNSC, Jonathan Miller, Israel’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, responded that “it is not Israel that is stopping these trucks”, and blamed the United Nations, saying that the international aid agency Failed to distribute “more efficiently”.

Robert Wood, deputy US ambassador to the United Nations, urged its ally Israel to keep border crossings open and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

“Simply put, Israel must do more,” he said. “We continue to call on Israel to improve its conflict resolution mechanisms to ensure that aid can move safely and securely.