U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that the entire population of Gaza is suffering from “severe levels of acute food insecurity,” emphasizing the urgent need to increase humanitarian aid deliveries to the Palestinian territories.

"According to the most respected measure in these matters, 100% of the population in Gaza is experiencing severe levels of acute food insecurity. This is the first time an entire population group has been classified as such.”

Blinken’s remarks came on the eve of a trip to the Middle East, this time to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, to discuss efforts to ensure a temporary ceasefire in Gaza and increase the delivery of aid.

A U.N.-backed food security assessment on Monday warned that half of Gaza’s population is suffering from “catastrophic” hunger, with famine expected to hit the northern sector by May unless urgent intervention occurs.

According to the assessment, 95% of the Gaza Strip's approximately 2.23 million residents currently face high levels of acute food insecurity. The analysis predicted that the entire population will reach this situation by mid-July, assuming hostilities in Gaza intensify and Israeli forces expand their ground offensive on Rafah, a move currently opposed by the United States.

Martin Griffiths, the U.N. humanitarian affairs coordinator, called on Israel to allow unrestricted aid access to the besieged Palestinian territories, saying there is “no time to waste.”

Israel is inspecting all shipments heading to the sector to ensure materials are not smuggled to Hamas, which slows the process. Aid has been particularly slow to reach northern Gaza, prompting the U.N. to warn weeks ago that famine is looming.

U.N. agencies say donors have resorted to deliveries by air or sea, but these are not viable alternatives to land deliveries.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification partnership said on Monday that although technical famine criteria have not yet been met, “all evidence points to a sharp acceleration in mortality and malnutrition.”

Quoting U.N. data, Blinken said 100% of Gaza’s population needs humanitarian aid, compared to 80% in Sudan and 70% in Afghanistan.

Blinken said about aid delivery: “This underscores the urgent and essential need to make this a priority.” "We need more, we need sustainability, and we need it to be prioritized if we want to effectively meet people's needs.”

Blinken spoke from Manila, where he is visiting as part of a short Asian tour aimed at boosting U.S. support for regional allies against China.

The Gaza war erupted after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7. About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed, and 253 others were abducted in Gaza when thousands of Hamas militants swept across southern Israel.

Israel responded with sustained bombing and a ground offensive in Hamas-controlled Palestinian territories, vowing to eliminate the movement and release the hostages. The indiscriminate bombing resulted in the deaths of more than 30,000 Palestinians, a third of whom were children and women.

During a joint press conference with his Filipino counterpart, Blinken was asked about steps he was taking to address the inability of foreign journalists to access Gaza.

Blinken said, “Clearly, there are deep security considerations in an active war zone that must be taken into account.” "But the fundamental principle of journalists’ access is something we strongly support.”