The United Nations Works Agency for Refugees in Palestine (UNWRA) says time is running out for aid to reach stricken Palestinians and humanitarian workers in Gaza as Israel's bombardment of the region continues.

According to figures released by Gaza's health ministry, at least 3,785 Palestinians have been killed and 12,493 wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7. The assault began after an attack by Hamas on Israel that resulted in 1,400 deaths. Around two hundred people were also captured and are being held hostage in Gaza.

Since then, Israel has enforced a complete blockade of Gaza, meaning Palestinians are struggling to survive without electricity, food, water and fuel. The U.S. and Egypt have been pushing for a deal with Israel to get aid delivered to Gaza, and the White House said on Wednesday it had been agreed for up to 20 trucks to pass through the Rafah crossing from Egypt in the coming days, with hopes for more trucks later.

But the UNWRA fears that won't be enough and is calling on Israel to agree to a humanitarian pause to allow more supplies to enter Gaza. 

Juliette Touma, Director of Communications at UNWRA, said: "Our teams on the ground are stretched to the limits. This is because we have not been able to bring in any humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip since the war began."

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She added: "The siege on the Gaza Strip must be lifted so that organizations like UNWRA are able to bring in much needed humanitarian supplies, including fuel for the water inside the Gaza Strip. We are ready with supplies."

But a complete pause in the conflict doesn't seem likely in the short term. Israel is expected to launch a ground offensive in the coming days and Netanyahu cranked up the rhetoric on Thursday by comparing Hamas to the Nazi regime and calling upon Western nations to support their attack on Gaza.

Even if aid is allowed to enter Gaza from Egypt - millions of tons of medical supplies, food and water are backed up by the Rafah border - aid workers face a race against time to save people who were already reliant on organizations such as the UNWRA to survive before the conflict began.

"People have been in need of aid way before the war began," Touma explained. "For example, 1.2 million people inside the Gaza Strip relied on food assistance from UNWRA - 80 percent of the population inside the Gaza Strip are poor. The highest unemployment among young people is in Gaza. They're absolutely dependent on humanitarian aid."

She added: "Gaza was like that before the war began. Now, with the siege and with the inability of organizations like UNWRA to bring in much needed supplies, we are not able to fulfil our mandate. So that's why it's critical that we are immediately given access to the Gaza Strip so that we're able to deliver assistance to people who need us."

Humanitarian workers have also been caught up in the conflict. On October 11, the United Nations released a statement revealing that "11 UNRWA colleagues have been killed since 7 October in the Gaza Strip." The statement added that "five teachers at UNRWA schools, one gynecologist, one engineer, one psychological counsellor and three support staff were among the dead."

Touma says she fears more deaths will follow unless there is a pause in the conflict. "We have lost so many, so many have been killed," she said. "So many civilians have been killed. So many colleagues of ours have been killed. It is time it is time for safe humanitarian access into the Gaza Strip and for a ceasefire right away."

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