Geneva, Switzerland - With winter approaching, Israel's blockades of supplies into the Gaza Strip could cause more deaths, this time from the cold, as tens of thousands of Palestinians are still living in thin tents, the UN emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher warned on Wednesday.

"Stop this collective punishment," Fletcher, of the UN relief organization OCHA, wrote in a press release. He called for all border crossings with Gaza to be opened, for the UN's partners to be allowed to work, and for commercial markets to function.

"Fund the plan. End this predictable, preventable suffering. The world is not powerless here," he added.

Fletcher said at first people were told they needed to wait for the Israeli elections on October 27. Now they are being told they need to wait until a government has been formed.

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"In case anyone has any doubt about international humanitarian law: this is not an acceptable excuse." Human lives are at stake, he stressed.

He said the consequences of delays are lives lost and a people at risk, which is avoidable as the UN could supply "decent tents and essential winter kit."

Israel controls which goods enter the Gaza Strip. According to Fletcher, the UN is waiting for delivery permits for warm clothing, blankets, bedding, better shelters, and heating. Generators, petrol, engine oil, equipment for pumping out water, and clean-up work must also be approved. 

Fletcher said the situation would be better if Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were not crammed into a narrow strip of land. The Israeli military claims more than 60% of the Gaza Strip, which, according to the UN, is set to be expanded to 70%.