GAZA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The UN agency for Palestine refugees said on Wednesday that the situation in the Gaza Strip is witnessing a near-total collapse in all aspects of life.

Spokesperson Adnan Abu Hasna of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said in a press statement that "the situation in the Gaza Strip is now much more difficult than it has been since the beginning of the war."

The enclave is now facing "the collapse of the water and sanitation system, and a severe shortage of food," Abu Hasna said, stressing the urgent need for a renewed truce and the entry of aid trucks.

Meanwhile, the Hamas-run Gaza media office said on Wednesday that the closure of the crossings was a "major humanitarian crime" against the ceasefire agreement, "exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe" for Gaza residents.

The office said in a statement that "since the beginning of March, 15,000 aid trucks and 1,250 fuel trucks were supposed to enter, but none of them have entered at all."

The statement considered the complete closure of the crossings "a crime against humanity and a flagrant violation of international law." It held "the occupation fully responsible for the disastrous consequences of this illegal decision."

With the conclusion of the first phase of the Gaza peace deal, Israel announced on March 2 that it would halt the entry of goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip.

In a separate statement, Hamas warned that the Israeli shelling of the Gaza Strip endangers the lives of Israeli hostages.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "bears full responsibility for the failure of the ceasefire agreement, and the international community and mediators must pressure him to halt the aggression and return to the path of negotiations," Hamas said.

The statement continued, "The Palestinian factions are doing everything in their power to keep the occupation prisoners alive, but the indiscriminate Israeli bombing is endangering their lives."

Since March 18, Israel has renewed its intensive military operations in the Gaza Strip after Hamas rejected a proposal by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to extend the first-phase truce.

At least 830 Palestinians were killed and 1,787 others wounded by Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip since March 18, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Wednesday. Enditem

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