United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher said on Friday that time should not be wasted on an alternative U.S.-backed proposal to deliver aid to Gaza, saying the U.N. has a proven plan and 160,000 pallets of relief ready to enter the Palestinian enclave now.

Israel has agreed to allow some food into Gaza before a newly approved mechanism for aid deliveries is up and running later this month, the head of the newly established Gaza Humanitarian Foundation told CNN.

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said on Monday that the humanitarian situation in Gaza was "unacceptable" and called for aid to reach civilians in the Palestinian territory immediately.