The top U.N. humanitarian official is accusing Israel of blocking the delivery of desperately needed aid to Gaza, and the U.S. ambassador is demanding that its government step up efforts to tackle the Palestinian territory’s ”intolerable and catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

Kamala Harris pressed Israel to allow more aid to the Gaza Strip after the UN warned of a "rapid deterioration" of the humanitarian situation.

Some 41% of people in Gaza will face "catastrophic" levels of hunger in the coming months, a global authority on food security warned Thursday.