Life 'hard as ever' in Palestine - UN

He also hit out at Israel's increased use of live ammunition on unarmed protesters in the West Bank.

Mr Rawley said eight people had been killed by the Israeli Defence Forces since mid-November.

"Using live ammunition against civilians may constitute excessive use of force," he said.

"Individuals found responsible must be held accountable."

UN humanitarian watchdog OCHA in the occupied Palestinian territory warned life was still tough for Gazans following the recent conflict with Israel.

The OCHA said 1.3 million Palestinians did not have enough food, a rise of 7 per cent since 2011.

Before the October 2012 violence it was estimated that 44 per cent of Gazans were affected by food insecurity and 16 per cent were vulnerable.

It said "the situation has not changed significantly" but a growing number would now require long-term food assistance and many more could face shortages. More than 800 farmers and 1,700 agricultural workers were hit as 7 per cent of winter-cultivated land sustained damages.

The olive tree harvest - accounting for 14 per cent of the occupied territories' agricultural income - also continued to face serious problems due to settler violence.

The November ceasefire agreement allowed for increased Palestinian access to agricultural land, but farmers complained they were not given enough time to collect their produce, and there were 55 attacks despite Israeli "protection."

More than 8,600 olive trees were reported burned, uprooted and vandalised, a drop on the 9,500 in 2011.

But the OCHA said: "Consistent settler attacks on Palestinian olive groves over the years mean (there are) fewer trees to vandalise."

The humanitarian report also said the 20 truckloads of building materials now allowed in to the Gaza Strip was having a "minimal" impact, accounting for only 15 per cent of demand.

• Israel said today it had released 400 million shekels (£68m) of the taxes it was witholding to punish Palestine for its successful UN statehood bid.