UN humanitarian partners in Gaza City report an extreme lack of shelter space, with people settling in abandoned, unfinished, destroyed or damaged structures and some even sleeping in the open.

UNITED NATIONS, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Still no aid was delivered to the hungry civilians in famine-threatened Gaza as the single route designated by the Israeli military was deemed insecure, a UN spokesman said Wednesday.

Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said that about 100 truckloads of aid the Israelis have allowed to enter the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing so far this week, there has been zero distribution to Gazans.

He explained that the payloads were offloaded from the trucks in the checkpoint transit area for inspection. Some of the aid has been put on other trucks sent to the crossing from inside Gaza for delivery to warehouses and other checkpoints. But, none of those supplies have left the transit area.

The spokesman said the single route the Israeli military approved for the trucks to take to the destination was deemed insecure. The congested way mapped out was subject to looting, which is considered a real possibility because no aid had been allowed in for more than 11 weeks and people were desperate for food. Routes also have to skirt the Israeli military's areas of operation.

With 80 percent of Gaza either subject to displacement orders or in Israeli-militarized zones, humanitarians must coordinate movements with the Israeli authorities.

Dujarric said the world body and its partners in Gaza have been in discussions with community leaders in Gaza on how to mitigate the risk of looting and ensure that the supplies entering Gaza reach the people who rely on them. The limited amount of supplies into the crossing to date is not nearly enough to meet the vast needs of Gaza, and much more aid has to be provided.

While he said no aid had left for distribution in Gaza by 6:30 local time on Wednesday, there was still a possibility some trucks could go later if a safe route were secured.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the Israeli authorities approved humanitarian supplies to cross into the Gaza Strip on Monday and Tuesday but denied other critical items such as hygiene products or fuel.

OCHA also called for the opening of multiple crossings for humanitarian aid, including commercial goods. The United Nations and its humanitarian partners stand ready to deliver at scale.

The humanitarians said that as bombardment and shelling continued across the strip, the Ministry of Health reported that dozens of people were killed and issued an urgent call for blood.

The office said that large numbers of people continue to be displaced, fleeing for their lives amid intense bombing with no safe place to seek shelter or supplies.

OCHA said its partners report that almost half of the people newly displaced have fled with none of their belongings, and the displacements are putting immense pressure on humanitarian teams, especially when there is no food or other basic supplies to offer.

The humanitarians said their partners in Gaza City report an extreme lack of shelter space, with people settling in abandoned, unfinished, destroyed or damaged structures and some even sleeping in the open.

OCHA also said attacks on health care facilities continue. The only partially functional hospital in North Gaza governorate, Al Awda Hospital, was hit but still treats a dozen patients. On Tuesday, Kamal Adwan Hospital closed. Six people being treated in its malnutrition stabilization center were among the patients and medical staff relocated to Gaza City.

The office said that in Khan Younis, the European Gaza Hospital remains out of service after it was attacked last week. The hospital's closure has left patients without vital services, including neurosurgery, cardiac care and cancer treatment, all unavailable elsewhere in Gaza.

The humanitarians said its partners provide water, sanitation and hygiene services and warn that the water situation is worsening by the day. The largest desalination plant in the north of Gaza is in an area slated for displacement, disrupting access to drinking water for about 150,000 people.

OCHA said that the situation in southern Gaza, in Al Mawasi, is also dire, as the area is not connected to the water network and relies heavily on water trucked in, requiring both vehicles and fuel to serve the population.