New York  - The continued fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants has become the "biggest challenge" to the political talks aimed at resolving the conflict, the United Nations said Tuesday.

"Recent developments in the occupied Palestinian territories and in Israel underscores that the gap between the political tracks and the situation on the ground remain large, posing considerable obstacles in the path that lies ahead," UN Undersecretary General for Political Affairs B Lynn Pascoe said.

Fighting in the past four weeks killed 15 Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and one in the West Bank, while a total of 122 civilians were injured. In the same period one Israeli was killed in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem on October 23.

More than 123 rockets and 118 mortars were fired by Palestinian militants into Israel, Pascoe said at a meeting of the UN Security Council to review the situation in that region of the Middle East.

Pascoe said Israel in November severely restricted access of humanitarian workers and commercial and relief goods into Gaza, causing the suspension of the work by the UN refugee agency and World Food programme for Palestinians.

He renewed a call by the UN for tangible improvements in living conditions and security of civilians "to give them faith in the political process." (dpa)