New York, April 15 (QNA) - The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "deeply alarmed" at Sunday's strike by Israeli occupation forces on the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza.

"Under international humanitarian law, wounded and sick, medical personnel and medical facilities, including hospitals, must be respected and protected," the UN chief said in a statement.

He said the attack dealt "a severe blow to an already devastated healthcare system in the Strip", adding there was strong concern that medical supplies are running low while mass casualties continue to fill hospitals.

Guterres noted that nearly 70% of Gaza is now under Israeli-issued displacement orders or within a "no-go" zone, leaving Palestinians in Gaza with no safe place to go and little to survive on.

The Secretary-General once again voices his strong concern as aid continues to be blocked, with Israel not having allowed any humanitarian aid or other essential supplies in for more than seven weeks.

The humanitarian consequences are devastating, with food stocks running out, water production drastically dropping and shelter materials almost totally depleted, he warned.

The Secretary-General reiterates that the United Nations will not participate in any aid delivery arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality.

Civilians must be respected and protected at all times and they must have the basic necessities to survive, and a ceasefire must be restored and renewed without delay, he stressed. (QNA)