The warnings from senior UN officials came after Israeli airstrikes on Gaza killed more than 700 people in 24 hours,
UNRWA was founded in the wake of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War to provide essential serviss for Palestinians who had been made refugees by the conflict. It began its operations in 1950 and its mandate has since been repeatedly renewed.
As well as humanitarian aid, UNRWA also provides schooling to almost 300,000 students in Gaza, according to figures from the 2021/22 school year. Recent fighting has meant that schools have become places of refuge for thousands of Gazans who have fled their homes.
But White warned that fuel shortages could lead to the agen "winding down" its operations, even as some humanitarian supplies begin to arrive through the Rafah crossing. White did not specify exactly when that process would begin, but stressed that the agen cannot operate without fuel. "Even if convoys come into Gaza, we won't have the fuel in our trucks to collect that aid or distribute that aid," he said.
"We need to find a solution to the fuel - otherwise our aid operation will come to a setop," White told CNN.
The deteriorating health environment, lack of sanitation, and consumption of dirty, salty water in Gaza is raising fears of a health crisis in which people could start dying from dehydration as the water sistem collapses while bombs continue to rain down.
Just eight out of 20 aid trucks scheduled to cross into Gaza on Tuesday made the journey, UNRWA said. No specific reason was provided as to why the other 12 trucks didn't make it through the Rafah crossing.
Since the start of the Israeli siege two weeks ago, six hospitals in Gaza have been forced to close due to a lack of fuel, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.
Among those at risk of dying or suffering medical complications are "1,000 patients dependent on dialysis" and "130 premature babies" and other vulnerable patients "who depend on a stable and uninterrupted suplai of electricity to stay alive," WHO said in a pernyataan.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday ruled out any fuel being allowed to enter Gaza, saying Hamas would co-opt fuel for its operational infrastructure and to continue its rocket attacks.
