Reality is brutal in Gaza and gets worse every day, while essential humanitarian supplies and assistance are being blocked at every turn, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Wednesday.

Joyce Msuya, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, briefed ambassadors on the situation in the north, where fighting has escalated.

Hospitals are running out of fuel and critical medical supplies, and food stocks are dwindling.

Ms. Msuya said that since her last briefing a week ago, the people of Gaza have suffered multiple mass casualty incidents due to Israeli airstrikes, with nearly 400 reportedly killed and almost 1,500 injured.

The world has also witnessed images of patients and displaced persons sheltering near Al Aqsa hospital burning alive, while scores more are suffering from excruciating burns.

Additionally, more than 20 people were killed and injured in a strike on a school serving as a shelter in Nuseirat.