“It looks like the aid system has been weaponised, and as a result of this, what we can provide to people is only a fraction of what they truly need,” said Georgios Petropoulos, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) sub-office in Gaza, Al Jazeera reports.

Speaking during a virtual news conference, the UN official said Israeli authorities “seem unwilling” to open checkpoints, hampering the delivery of vital supplies.

He also noted that convoys trying to cross into southern Gaza are often looted in areas that are under the control of the Israeli army.

The result is that aid workers have to make “horrible” choices each day.

“Should I let people die of starvation or the cold? Do we bring in more food to ease hunger or more plastic sheets for shelter?” said Petropoulos. “Famine is very likely already here.”