More than a hundred humanitarian organizations warn in a joint statement that “mass starvation” is spreading in the Gaza Strip, where the war continues.

Israel has faced mounting international pressure over the increasingly dramatic humanitarian situation in the besieged Palestinian enclave, which has been reduced to rubble after 22 months of war. It only partially eased in late May the total blockade it imposed on Gaza since early March, causing huge shortages of food, medicine and other essentials.

“As a mass famine spreads in the Gaza Strip, our colleagues and the people we help are becoming increasingly weak,” the NGOs, including Médecins Sans Frontières, branches of Doctors of the World, Caritas, Amnesty International and Oxfam International, stressed in a joint statement.

They call for an immediate ceasefire, the opening of all crossing points and the free distribution of humanitarian aid.

A hospital in the Gaza Strip also announced yesterday (Tuesday) that 21 children had died of malnutrition or starvation in the past 72 hours.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has accused the Israeli army of killing more than 1,000 people since the end of May who were simply trying to find food, the vast majority of them near centres run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a non-profit organisation with opaque funding, backed by the US and Israel.

On the other hand, Israel accuses Hamas of attempting to politically exploit the suffering of civilians, of stealing food and selling it at police prices, of its fighters opening fire on people waiting for help. The GHF also blames the humanitarian situation on Hamas.

Israeli authorities often assure that they allow aid to pass through, but NGOs complain that they impose draconian restrictions and put up barriers.

“In warehouses just outside Gaza – and even inside – tons of food, drinking water, medical supplies, shelter materials and fuel go unused, as humanitarian organizations are prevented from accessing them and making distributions,” the text stresses.