UN suspends food distribution in Rafah

• The conditions are present despite airdrops of humanitarian aid from the U.S. and other western nations.

State of play: The UNRWA said on social media that its distribution center and the World Food Program warehouse, both in Rafah, had become inaccessible due to ongoing military operation in the eastern part of the city.

• The UN also told AP Tuesday that no aid trucks had entered the region in the past two days through the U.S. temporary floating pier.

Worth noting: The U.S. military said last week that it completed construction of the pier in Gaza to allow for the delivery of critical humanitarian aid to Palestinians.

• "To date, over 569 metric tons of humanitarian assistance has been delivered across the temporary pier to Gaza for further distribution by humanitarian partners," the U.S. Central Command said Monday.

Zoom out: The World Food Program said it's also running out of food for central Gaza, where Palestinians fleeing Rafah are seeking shelter.

• Abeer Etefa, a spokesperson for the organization, told AP that "humanitarian operations in Gaza are near collapse" and if aid doesn't arrive "in massive quantities, famine-like conditions will spread."
• The UN and the World Food Program did not immediately respond to Axios's request for comment.

Go deeper: Famine imminent in northern Gaza, report finds