UNITED NATIONS - An obviously frustrated UN official in devastated Gaza has made impassioned appeal to Israel to open all border crossings and allow thousands of tonnes of aid to flow into the territory to stem rising tide of anger among Palestinians following the deadly three-week military offensive. The appeal from the Director of Operations in Gaza for the UN Relief and Works Agency in the Near East (UNRWA), John Ging, came as the United Nations officials were expressing frustration over the quantity of aid going into Gaza through check points controlled by the Israelis. In the wake of the collapse of economy and lack of jobs, an overwhelming majority of Gazans depend on the United Nations for basic food supplies and now the world body needs to import construction material also to repair and reconstruct infrastructure destroyed during the Israeli action. Each truck is checked by Israeli customs and items which it feels can be used by Hamas to fight it are not allowed in but the officials do not give any explanation as to why a particular item is not allowed to go in, except saying it is of a security risk. In an example of the difficulties UNRWA faces, Israel has banned the import of plastic bags which the agency needs for its 20,000 daily food parcels. The UN apparently does not agree with all the decisions. However, it has little choice but to accept Israeli verdict. Almost two weeks after the devastating Israeli offensive against Hamas in Gaza ended, full access for relief supplies remains the key issue, Ging said. "Shamefully, there are thousands of tonnes of aid waiting on the borders of Gaza that need to be connected right now with the people," he told a news conference in New York via video-link. "The donors have been very generous, the operation in getting it (the aid) from all over the world to this part of the world has been a success and very quick, but now we have the bottleneck, and of course ... the Government of Israel in the first instance has to find operational solutions to get the crossing points open," Ging said, noting that only about 100 truckloads are crossing daily. A daily average of 130 trucks crossed into Gaza in the second half of last year before the surfacing of huge new demands stemming from the massive devastation wrought by the three-week offensive launched by Israel with the stated aim of ending Hamas rocket attacks. The military operation claimed over 1,300 lives, 412 of them children, wounded more than 5,450 and destroyed or damaged 20,000 buildings and much infrastructure. The UN has estimated that some 600 trucks a day are needed to keep Gaza running, even before the current damage. Israel has cut back supplies and closed crossings frequently for security reasons and in response to rocket attacks. "The bottom line is the people here need that food and other supplies, they need it right now, and of course that's what's feeding their misery and their anger," Ging said. "I'm not saying that the entire population has turned over to extremism, I'm saying that there's more of it than there was before. But of course the majority of people here are very angry," he said, stressing that if that anger is not channelled positively into changes on the ground, "we will suffer negative consequences- a fertile ground for extremism." Ging went to Jerusalem yesterday to meet US' Mideast envoy George Mitchell and stressed to him that access is the key, noting that the prospect of a dignified existence for Gazans is a prerequisite for security and stability. Summing up the current situation, Ging said UNRWA had increased the number of its food aid beneficiaries from 750,000 to 900,000 and was helping 10,000 homeless people with rental payment. Tens of thousands of others whose homes were destroyed or damaged in the Israeli bombardment have sought refuge with relatives and friends, but they need blankets and clothes. On the positive side, electricity supply has now increased to 16 hours, compared with only eight hours last week, and the number of people without water has dropped from 500,000 to 100,000 as infrastructure repairs continue. But in an example of the difficulties UNRWA faces, Israel banned the import of plastic bags which the agency needs for its 20,000 daily food parcels. UN officials are trying to find out why, Ging said. "We know the crossing points can be opened if there's political will," he told a questioner. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) reported that almost all of Gaza's 13,000 families who depend on farming, herding and fishing suffered damage to their assets during the conflict, with many farms completely destroyed. "For many women whose husbands were killed or injured during the conflict it is becoming increasingly difficult to provide food for their families," FAO Senior Project Coordinator in Jerusalem Luigi Damiani said. FAO is already planning emergency agricultural rehabilitation to assist the most vulnerable, including input packages of seeds, seedlings, fertilizers, feed and veterinary kits to bolster food production for the coming spring season. Aid will also focus on repairing damaged greenhouses, animal sheds, irrigation networks and water wells. The agency will need USD 6.5 million for these immediate activities, which will directly benefit around 27,500 people.