**Mass Starvation Looms in Gaza: Humanitarian Organizations Sound the Alarm**
More than 100 international aid and human rights organizations are warning of a catastrophic food shortage in Gaza, with thousands facing starvation. The dire situation is unfolding despite the presence of warehouses filled with tons of food, fuel, medical supplies, and shelter items that remain untouched.
**Blockade and Bureaucratic Red Tape**
Israel controls the supply of all food into Gaza and denies any responsibility for the growing shortages. In March, Israel imposed an absolute blockade on aid deliveries, followed by a renewed military offensive against Hamas. This has resulted in record levels of acute malnutrition among children and older adults. Aid workers describe the devastating impact of hunger on families, with some children telling their parents that they want to go heaven because at least there is food.
**War Crimes Allegations Mount**
The United Nations human rights office has reported more than 1,050 Palestinians killed by Israeli military forces since May 28, with another 288 civilians killed near UN and aid convoys. The Israeli military claims that its troops fired only warning shots, but the UN disputes this, calling for an immediate and permanent cessation of hostilities.
**Aid Organizations Demand Action**
Humanitarian organizations are urging governments to take decisive action to prevent mass starvation in Gaza. They demand a permanent ceasefire, the lifting of all administrative restrictions, and the opening of land crossings. Aid workers also call for funding to be allocated to impartial and principled humanitarian organizations.
**International Community Weighs In**
The foreign ministers from the UK, 27 other countries, and the EU have called for an end to the Gaza war, but Israel’s Foreign Ministry has rejected this statement as “disconnected with reality” and a message that encourages Hamas.
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