Tel Aviv, Dec 22 (IANS): The United Nations has warned that the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas is pushing the entire Gaza Strip towards an "imminent" famine.

The Global Hunger Monitoring System, a UN-backed body, said that more than half a million population in the Gaza Strip were living in catastrophic conditions.

It also said that it has been warning the warring factions that with destruction and deprivation of food and essential materials in the Gaza Strip, the situation is turning from bad to worse.

With conditions deteriorating in the enclave, the UN Security Council has been locked in negotiations on a resolution that would boost aid deliveries.

Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive in Gaza to retaliate against a surprise Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 when about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage, according to the Israeli tallies.

The death toll of Palestinians from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since October 7 has reached 20,000.

The volume of aid materials including food materials arriving in the enclave came down in significantly thus leading to an extreme shortage of food materials in the Gaza.