UN warns rising temperatures threaten to worsen Humanitarian crisis in Gaza

The lack of clean drinking water has become a top concern as it gets hotter and Palestinians face dehydration as well as the spread of infectious disease, Anderson said. The World Health Organization has warned that cases of hepatitis A and diarrhea are rising, and other diseases such as cholera could quickly become more prevalent without improved access to clean water, he added.

The challenge facing relief groups has been exacerbated by the closure of the border crossing with Egypt at Rafah, the southern Gaza city where Israel has been carrying out an offensive in recent weeks. The Rafah crossing has been an important conduit for getting desperately needed humanitarian assistance into the enclave, and for allowing sick and wounded Palestinians to leave.

Israel seized the crossing in early May at the beginning of its offensive in Rafah, where more than 1 million displaced Gaza residents crammed after Israeli evacuation orders repeatedly directed residents to clear out of other areas and head south. Egypt has shuttered its side of the Rafah crossing since Israel took control of the other side, and Egyptian, Israeli and Palestinian officials have wrangled over how to reopen the crossing to aid.

On Sunday, Israeli, Egyptian and US officials met in Cairo to discuss reopening the crossing, according to Egyptian state news media. Details on the discussion or any outcome were not immediately available. Before the talks, an Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive subject had confirmed that the crossing would be the focus.