The population of the Gaza Strip is at “great risk”, the head of the World Health Organization said today, stressing that hunger and desperation are worsening in the war-torn Palestinian territory.

The WHO said it delivered medical supplies to two hospitals on Tuesday, in the northern and southern parts of the Palestinian enclave, as 21 of the 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip are now out of business.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on the international community to take “urgent action to reduce the grave danger to the people of Gaza and undermine the ability of aid organizations to help a population suffering from horrific trauma, acute hunger and severe disease risk”.

In a statement, the UN agency said its team reported on Tuesday the need for food that “remains acute” across the Gaza Strip. “Hungry people blocked our convoy in the hope of finding food,” the WHO announced.

“WHO’s ability to deliver medicines, medical supplies and fuel to hospitals is increasingly limited by the hunger and desperation of the people inside or going to those hospitals,” he added. “The safety of our teams and the continuation of operations depend on the delivery of more food to Gaza, immediately,” Tedros stressed.

The resolution adopted last week at the UN Security Council, which called for the “immediate” and “large-scale” delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, “raised a hope” for improvement, Tedros said. “However, WHO’s findings on the ground show that the resolution has unfortunately had no effect at present.”

“What we urgently need, immediately, is a ceasefire to protect civilians from the ongoing violence and to begin the long road to peace and reconstruction,” Tedros said.