Tel Aviv [Israel], April 17 (ANI): The UN's humanitarian affairs agency's (OCHA) on Thursday updated on the situation in Gaza amid severe food shortages due to the Israeli military's punitive blockade on all aid entering the war-torn territory, Al Jazeera reported.

According to OCHA, in March, 3,696 Palestinian children were newly admitted for acute malnutrition, which marked a stark increase compared with the number in February, which was 2,027, as per Al Jazeera.

'Food consumption in Gaza has sharply deteriorated due to the blockade on the entry of humanitarian aid and other critical supplies now in its seventh week,' OCHA said. 'Consumption of key food groups - such as meat, poultry, dairy, vegetables, and fruits - remains critically low,' it added.

Lack of access to water in Gaza is also fuelling 'a severe survival crisis with far-reaching public health and protection consequences. Water is essential for survival, yet access to safe water has become dangerously limited,' the OCHA report states.

The US special envoy for hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, told Al Jazeera that a ceasefire in Gaza will only be possible once all the captives being held by Hamas in the Palestinian enclave are released.

Boehler's statement comes as ceasefire negotiations continue amid the Israeli military's intense renewed assault on Gaza. The envoy emphasised that Hamas releasing the remaining captives remains a non-negotiable precondition for any lasting truce.

Medical sources told Al Jazeera that at least 35 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since early on Wednesday, and more devastating strikes have been reported in recent hours, Al Jazeera reported.

The United Nations said an estimated 5,00,000 people have been 'newly displaced or uprooted once more' in Gaza since Israel broke the ceasefire with Hamas on March 18.

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said his country's 'policy is clear' and preventing all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza is a 'tool' to pressure Hamas.

Gaza's Health Ministry says at least 51,025 Palestinians have been confirmed dead and 116,432 wounded in Israel's war on Gaza since it began 18 months ago.

The Gaza Government Media Office updated its death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed dead. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks, and more than 200 were taken captive, as per Al Jazeera. (ANI)