Over 100 humanitarian and human rights organizations called on governments to take urgent action to stop the spread of hunger in Gaza.
They also called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, as well as the removal of all obstacles to the distribution of humanitarian aid.
The statement, signed by 111 organizations, including Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Refugees International, warns that hunger in Gaza is spreading rapidly, while vital aid, such as food, water and medicine, remains undistributed near the border, as humanitarian organizations are prohibited from operating.
"As the Israeli government's siege continues to starve the people of Gaza, aid workers are joining them in food lines, risking being shot. Supplies have run out and aid organizations are watching their colleagues and partners wither before their eyes," the statement said.
"The closures and delays, caused by the Israeli government's total siege, have created chaos, hunger and death," according to the organizations.
They demanded that governments act immediately, removing all bureaucratic and administrative obstacles blocking aid; opening all land crossings into Gaza; ensuring that aid reaches all people in need, without hindrance; rejecting military control over aid distribution, and restoring UN-led humanitarian assistance based on international aid principles.
"States must take concrete measures - such as banning the transfer of weapons and ammunition - to end the siege," the statement said.
Israel, which controls all supplies entering Gaza, denies it is responsible for the food shortage.
Over 800 people have been killed in recent weeks while trying to secure food - most of them by mass shootings by Israeli soldiers positioned near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution centers.
This foundation, supported by the United States, has been harshly criticized by humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, for what has been said to be a lack of neutrality.
According to authorities in Gaza, Israel has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians in this enclave.
The offensive began in October 2023, after Hamas - a Palestinian group designated a terrorist by the US and other powers - attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking hundreds more hostage./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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