United Nations' refugee agency on Thursday suspended food distributions to Palestinians in Gaza Strip after it ran out of food stockpiles.

In a statement sent to the media, the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said Israel closed all the crossing points into Gaza and humanitarian aid and fuel supplies cannot get through.

The largest relief organization in Gaza said the stockpiled flour ran out and forced it to halt the regular and the emergency distributing programs.

Israel imposed severe restrictions on shipments to Gaza Strip since early November after a wave of violence erupted between its forces and Palestinian militants, violating an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire.

As the agreement, which calls on Israel to ease Gaza blockade in exchange for lull, coming to an end on Friday, the armed Palestinian groups stepped up rocket attacks into Israeli border communities and the Jewish state responded by tightening the closure.

Since November, Israel only allowed several aid convoys, whose shipments were distributed quickly, leaving the organization unable to store food rations.

The UNRWA said the suspending of food distributions would affect the 750,000 Palestinian refugees out of Gaza's 1.5 million population.

(Xinhua News Agency December 19, 2008)