Christian Aid is making an urgent call for fuel access for Gaza hospitals as the Palestinian death toll rises.
Israeli strikes on the region have killed more than 8,500, according to Hamas reports.
The charity has warned that without immediate access to water and electricity, patients will die.
William Bell, Head of Middle East Policy & Advocacy for Christian Aid tells Premier the airstrikes are hitting closer to Gaza hospitals and the situation has become dire.
“Hospitals are now unable to function in the way that they should. You need fuel, and fuel is one of those commodities that haven't been allowed in.”
On Sunday, just 33 lorries - carrying crucial aid supplies to the war-stricken region - were allowed to enter.
Prior to the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas, Gaza received an average of 500 truckloads of aid per day, according to the UN.
Dr Hassan, who runs the chronic disease centre for Christian Aid’s local partner Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS), explains: “If fuel totally runs out in Gaza it will be a catastrophe. So many patients will die, especially those in intensive care units who are relying on ventilators, which will stop working without electricity.
"The hospitals will become a place where patients are only sent to the morgue.”
Bell says their partners on the ground require "unfettered humanitarian access" to respond to the scale of need.
“When you're talking about a population of two 2.3 million, obviously, you need large scale aid relief, and that has just not been forthcoming.
“Also, it's coming into an area which is still experiencing extreme violence. So it is not a safe environment, either to deliver aid or for people to get to that aid."
The charity says a full and immediate ceasefire is the “only solution” to ensure humanitarian aid reaches those who need it.
“The reality is that we're now at least 1500 Israeli dead, and about 8,500 Palestinians dead. 3,500 of those we estimate to be children and that number is only going to go up.
“We have to, at the very least have a complete cessation of violence. And the politicians needs to do their job to ensure that we do not return to a situation that we saw on 7th October.”
Alongside over 20 church leaders and Christian organisations, Christian Aid is also demanding the release of all Israeli hostages alongside unequivocal support for the International Criminal Court to carry out an independent investigation into all war crimes to ensure accountability.
