"We recognize that there are real food security issues in Gaza, a hundred percent. And that's why food has really been one of the main staples of the humanitarian assistance that we have been trying to get in: food, water, medicine. But food is certainly right at the top of that list," Kirby said during a press conference.
The official stated that the US is grateful to the Israeli government for opening the Karem Shalom border crossing but said that the amount of humanitarian supplies crossing into Gaza is still not enough.
"There are not enough trucks getting in. We're not satisfied with the level right now … at the maximum on a given day, I think we've been able to reach around 200," Kirby said, noting that it was much less than previously.
The US knows that "there's many people suffering in Gaza, not just from hunger but other needs, and we're going to do everything we can to alleviate that," he added.
On October 7, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip, while its fighters breached the border, opening fire on military and civilians. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted.
Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza and began a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 23,000 people have since been killed in Gaza in Israeli strikes, local authorities said.
In a statement marking the three-month anniversary of the war, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said that "famine is around the corner" as Gazans are "facing the highest levels of food insecurity ever recorded."