UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has stressed the need to ease the challenges and restrictions hindering humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip.

"We’re continuing to seize every opportunity to save lives. The UN and our partners have fed more than a million people," Fletcher said in a statement late Monday.

He added that nutrition sites have been reopened, hospitals are treating more patients, and roads have been cleared.

Fletcher noted that UN agencies have also repaired water lines, resumed basic vaccination campaigns, and distributed winter clothing and blankets, as well as providing psychosocial support services to affected residents.

"But many obstacles remain. We’re working to overcome red tape, enable essential humanitarian partners, open more crossings and routes, and navigate continued insecurity," he emphasised.

Fletcher underlined the importance of easing these restrictions to enable humanitarian organisations to do more to save lives and improve the conditions of civilians in the Strip.