UNITED NATIONS, July 28 (Xinhua) -- "As the world is witnessing, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is devastating," UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, said on Sunday.

"One in three people in Gaza hasn't eaten for days. People are being shot just trying to get food to feed their families. Children are wasting away. This is what we face on the ground right now," Fletcher, also the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, said in a statement.

Fletcher welcomed Israel's decision to support a one-week scale-up of aid, including lifting customs barriers on food, medicine and fuel from Egypt and the reported designation of secure routes for UN humanitarian convoys.

"This is progress," he said, adding that vast amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis.

The UN agencies and humanitarian community are mobilized to save lives, he said, stressing the need for swift, sustained action, including quicker clearances for convoys going to the crossing and dispatching into Gaza, more trips per day to the crossings, safe routes that avoid crowded areas and an end to attacks on people gathering for food.

According to the senior UN official, more than 59,000 people have reportedly been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, and nearly 18,000 of them are children.

"International humanitarian law must be respected. Aid must not be blocked, delayed or come under fire. Hostages must be released, immediately and unconditionally," he said.

"Ultimately of course we don't just need a pause -- we need a permanent ceasefire," said Fletcher. ■