Gaza, Oct 23 : A top UN official said on Monday that fuel requirement for the besieged Gaza Strip is as “urgent as water and food", adding that the two aid convoys that entered the Hamas-controlled enclave over the weekend have barely alleviated the dire conditions.

Speaking to CNN, UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) Communications DirectorTamara Alrifai said: “Without fuel, it is not going to be possible to go around Gaza... Or to power the water desalination plant to get clean drinking water or to power hospitals and the lifesaving machines." 

Alrifai said humanitarian aid that entered Gaza was “a fraction” of what is needed for over 400,000 displaced people currently taking shelters in schools run by UNRWA, adding the situation is “very, very dire”.