The United Nations has issued a special report warning of an impending humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
The report predicts that by the end of 2006, 72% of Palestinians will be suffering poverty as a result of the Israeli policies and military operations, and that Israel will be hampering emergency aid deliveries.
Israel’s recent offensive has killed 82 Palestinians, including 26 children in Gaza Strip, the report says.
The report urges Israel to give UN agencies free access throughout Gaza.
"The UN organisations recognise Israel's legitimate security concerns, particularly the need to stop Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks into civilian areas, however its actions should be in conformity with international humanitarian law and it should not use disproportionate force," the report says.
The report also says that as a result of the Israeli travel restrictions and roadblocks, Palestinians are facing difficulty in finding work, exporting goods, moving around Gaza and sending their children to school.
66% of Palestinians in Gaza live below the UN-defined poverty line.
The report says that Israel should "respect its obligations under humanitarian law by ensuring the safety of the Palestinian civilian population".
Twelve UN agencies - under the auspices of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – compiled the report showing that the situation in Gaza was more severe than they initially thought, said David Shearer, the head of OCHA's Jerusalem office.
Shearer adds that, earlier, the poverty rate was expected to reach 72% by 2006, but now it appears it could go higher as a result of the deteriorating situation. "We were concerned it may even go beyond that, which is a serious concern," Shearer said.
According to the UN Israel has demolished at least 120 residential buildings each month this year, leaving 24,547 Palestinians homeless.
Also the report shows that chronic malnutrition among children under 5 years old is 12.7% in the Gaza Strip, and is expected to rise.
The report comes amid Israel’s mounting violence in Gaza Strip.
Israel maintains that its bloody military operations in Gaza are only aimed at stopping Hamas fighters from firing Qassam rockets at Israeli towns.
About 1.4 million Palestinians live in Gaza, of which 900,000 are refugees from previous conflicts with Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is trying to move forward with his disengagement plan that envisages withdrawing from Gaza and four small West Bank settlements, which Israel has occupied since 1967.