Tom Fletcher, who heads the UN’s humanitarian agency (OCHA), has urged governments to “break the cycle of violence” and “defend humanitarian law” in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera reports.

“We deal with tough places to deliver humanitarian support. But Gaza is currently the most dangerous, in a year when more humanitarians have been killed than any on record,” Fletcher was quoted as saying.

“As a result, despite the massive humanitarian needs, it has become almost impossible to deliver even a fraction of the aid that is so urgently required. The Israeli authorities continue to deny us meaningful access — over 100 requests to access North Gaza were denied since 6 October. We are also now seeing the breakdown of law and order and the systematic armed looting of our supplies by local gangs.”

The UN official made the comments after visiting Jordan, Syria and Lebanon to meet aid teams, including those working in the occupied Palestinian territory. He condemned the “sustained intensity” of Israel’s violence in Gaza, saying that there is nowhere safe for civilians in the strip, with schools, hospitals and civilian infrastructure reduced to rubble.