US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris urged Israel on Sunday to increase its aid to Gaza, citing a report by the United Nations World Food Programme.

“The UN reports that no food has entered northern Gaza for nearly two weeks. Israel must urgently do more to facilitate the flow of aid to those in need. Civilians must be protected and must have access to food, water and medicine. International humanitarian law must be respected,” Harris said in a post on the social media platform X.

In a report released on Saturday, the World Food Programme (WFP) said, “The escalation of violence in northern Gaza is having a catastrophic impact on the food security of thousands of Palestinian families” and that “the main crossings to the north have been closed and no food assistance has entered since October 1.”

The World Food Programme reported that places such as “food distribution points, as well as kitchens and bakeries in northern Gaza, were forced to close due to” factors including “airstrikes, military ground operations and evacuation orders.”

“The north is essentially cut off and we are unable to operate there,” said Antoine Renard, WFP’s Country Director in Palestine, in a statement. “WFP has been on the ground since the beginning of the crisis. We are committed to delivering life-saving food every day despite the increasing challenges, but without safe and sustainable access, it is almost impossible to reach those in need.”

It is noteworthy that more than a year has passed since the brutal Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which claimed the lives of 42,000 Palestinian citizens, most of whom were women and children, and wounded more than 80,000 Palestinian citizens, most of whom were also women and children, and forced all of the Strip's 2.2 million inhabitants to flee internally.

Israel launched its ongoing war on the Strip after fighters from the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas managed to penetrate Israeli fortifications in the Gaza Strip, killing 1,200 Israelis, including 311 soldiers, according to official Israeli statements on October 7, 2023.

Tensions in the Middle East escalated after Israel assassinated leaders of the Lebanese Hezbollah, bombed the Lebanese capital Beirut repeatedly, and penetrated Lebanese territory, which led to the intervention of Iran, which launched 180 missiles at Israel on October 1.

Experts expect that Israel is preparing to attack Iran, a response that would be followed by an Iranian response, which could plunge the region into a regional war.