Ramez Alakbarov, the UN deputy special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, called for urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and for meeting the population’s most pressing needs, warning that the risk of deaths from cold is increasing amid severe shortages.

Briefing the United Nations Security Council via video link from occupied Jerusalem, Alakbarov said the danger of people dying from exposure in Gaza was growing due to a lack of aid, underscoring the need for immediate action.

Separately, European countries condemned what they described as an unprecedented escalation in settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.