The UK and 27 other countries are seeking an immediate end to the war in Gaza, where they say the suffering of civilians has “attained a new depth.”
According to a joint statement, Israel's model of aid supply is dangerous and condemns what is called “intra-adult feeding and inhumane killing of civilians.”
Gaza's Hamaslan Health Ministry said more than 100 Palestinians were killed in Israeli fires over the weekend, with 19 people dead as a result of malnutrition.
Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected the state's statement, saying it was “separated from reality and sent a false message to Hamas.”
Rather than agreeing to a new ceasefire and hostage release agreement, the ministry has accused the armed groups of spreading lies and undermining the distribution of aid.
During the last 21 months of the war with Hamas, there have been many international statements denounce Israeli tactics in Gaza. However, this declaration is notable for its honesty.
The signatories are the British foreign ministers and 27 other countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, New Zealand and Switzerland.
The statement begins with declaring that “the war in Gaza must end now.”
“The suffering of Gaza civilians has reached new depths. The Israeli government's model of assistance delivery is dangerous, promoting instability and depriving Gazas of human dignity.
“We condemn the assistance of civilians, including children who try to meet the most basic needs of water and food, and the inhumane IV feeding of inhumane killings. It is horrifying that more than 800 Palestinians were killed while seeking assistance.
British Foreign Secretary David Lamey later told the House that there was a “sequence of horror” going on in Gaza, including a strike that killed “hopeful and hungry children.”
Lamie, who announced £40 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza this year, said he was “a solid supporter of Israel's security and its right to existence,” but the government's actions “deny Israel's status in the world and undermine Israel's long-term security.”
There have been almost daily reports of Palestinians being murdered when Israel partially eased the 11-week total lockdown on delivery of aid to Gaza, establishing a new aid system run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) with the United States, and relaxing the 11-week total lockdown on delivery of aid by the United Nations.
Israel says that GHF's system of using US civil security contractors to distribute food parcels from sites within Israeli military areas will prevent supplies stolen by Hamas.
However, the United Nations and its partners have refused to cooperate with the system, saying it is not safe and violating humanitarian principles of fairness, neutrality and independence.
Last Tuesday, the UN Human Rights Office said it had recorded 674 murders near the GHF aid site since it began operations eight weeks ago. He added that another 201 people had been recorded along the routes of the UN and other aid convoys.
Another 39 people died on Saturday near two GHF sites in Khan Eunice and nearby Rafa, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. Israeli forces said the troops fired warning shots to prevent “subjects” from approaching them before the site opened.
And on Sunday, the ministry said 67 people were killed as it spiked towards a UN-assisted truck convoy near a intersection in northern Gaza. Israeli forces said the troops fired warning shots at the crowd to “remove the immediate threat,” but disputed the number of people killed.
Following the incident, the global food program warned that Gaza's hunger crisis has “reached a new level of despair.”
“People are dying from humanitarian shortages. Malnutrition is rising with 90,000 women and children who urgently need treatment,” the UN agency said.
Gaza's Hamaslan Health Ministry said on Monday it has warned of “mass deaths” in the coming days as a result of malnutrition since Saturday.
“Hospitals can no longer provide food to patients and staff, many of which can't continue to work physically due to extreme hunger,” Dr Khalil Al-Daqran, spokesman for Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, told the BBC.
“Hospitals cannot provide a bottle of milk to hungry children as all baby formulas run out of the market,” he added.
Residents also reported that the market was closed due to food shortages.
“My kids cry from hunger all night. They've only had a small plate of lentils for the past three days. There's no bread. A week ago, a kilogram of flour costed $80 (£59).”
A statement from 27 countries also said Israel's proposal to move 2.1 million people in Gaza to the so-called “humanitarian cities” in Israel's southern Rafa region is unacceptable, saying “permanent forced evacuation is a violation of international humanitarian law.”
They are urging Israel, Hamas and the international community to “end this terrible conflict through an immediate, unconditional, permanent ceasefire.”
And they warn that they are “ready to take further action to support the immediate ceasefire and the political path to security and peace.”
It is considered a code that many people recognize the Palestinian state. What many countries have done is not everything, including the UK and France.
Oren Marmorstein, a spokesman for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, declined to criticize him.
“All statements and all claims should be directed at the sole party responsible for the lack of transactions for hostages and the release of the ceasefire: Hamas has launched this war and is extending it,” he said.
“Instead of agreeing to a ceasefire, Hamas is busy running a campaign to spread lies about Israel. At the same time, Hamas is deliberately acting to increase friction and harm to civilians who come to receive humanitarian assistance,” he added.
Earlier this month, Israeli military recognized the incident that had been harmed by civilians while seeking assistance, saying it was working to minimize the possibility of friction between the population and (Israel).
Cogat, an Israeli military group responsible for cooperative aid, said on Monday that Israel is “a major effort to act in accordance with international law and promote humanitarian aid entry into Gaza in coordination with international organizations.”
Meanwhile, a GHF spokesman appealed to UN agencies to participate in its operations, and condemned them of “stop” work and failure to deliver supplies across the territory.
Chapin Fay told journalists he had been to a border crossing.
Israeli Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that it was waiting for aid for 700 trucks to be picked up by the UN from the intersection.
The UN says it is struggling to pick up and distribute supplies due to continued hostility, restrictions on Israeli humanitarian movements and fuel shortages.
Israeli forces launched a campaign in Gaza on October 7, 2023 in response to a Hamas-led attack on Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
At least 59,029 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Ministry of Health of the Territories.