Aid to Gaza has fallen by two-thirds since Israel entered Rafah, the UN said.

The amount of humanitarian aid entering the area has fallen by two-thirds since Israel launched a military operation in southern Rafah this month, with the United Nations warning of a possible famine in Gaza.

“The volume of food and other aid entering Gaza, which is already insufficient to meet growing needs, has further decreased since May 7,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

According to Ocha, an average of 58 aid trucks arrived in Gaza daily between May 7 and Tuesday, a 67% drop, compared to a daily average of 176 between April 1 and May 6. According to the office, these numbers exclude cargo and fuel from the private sector.

The UN says at least 500 trucks a day of aid and merchandise are needed to enter Gaza. Since the war between Israel and Hamas began nearly eight months ago, humanitarian aid for 2.3 million Palestinians has entered primarily through two crossings in southern Gaza — the Rafah crossing from Egypt and the Shalom crossing from Israel.

But supplies were disrupted as Israel stepped up its military operations in Rafah, with the goal of defeating remaining factions of Hamas militants. Egypt closed the Rafah crossing in the face of threats to humanitarian operations, but agreed to return aid and fuel through Kerem Shalom on Friday.

Israel’s deputy ambassador to the UN, Jonathan Miller, told the Security Council on Wednesday that Israel is fighting Hamas, not the civilians of Gaza.

“This is why Israel is committed to facilitating humanitarian aid into Gaza through all possible entry points. Despite the Hamas rocket at the Kerem Shalom crossing, it is fully operational and aid trucks are entering,” he said.