British charity organisation Oxfam accused Israel of collectively punishing more than two million civilians in the Gaza Strip, stating: “There can be no justification for using starvation as a weapon of war.”
Oxfam urged that food, water, fuel and other necessities should be permitted to enter Gaza.
With the crisis entering its 19th day of escalation, 2.2 million people are currently in critical need of food. Before the hostilities began, food was being delivered to the besieged Gaza Strip by 104 trucks every day, or one truck every 14 minutes.
Oxfam posted on its X account on Friday: “Over 2 million civilians in #Gaza are being collectively punished for the world to see. Using starvation as a weapon of war is inexcusable.”
It added: “The call for urgent aid and a #CeasefireNOW is imperative.”
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Palestinians wait to collect food at a donation point in a refugee camp in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on December 23, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by Mahmud HAMS / AFP) 
Palestinian children carry items as they walk at the site of Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, December 6, 2023. REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot 
Palestinians line up for food in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, during a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali) 
Palestinian children receive food at a UN-run school in Rafah, on the southern Gaza Strip on October 23, 2023 amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas militants. (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images) 
Palestinian children carry pots as they queue to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, amid shortages in food supplies, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip December 14, 2023. REUTERS/Saleh Salem/File photo 
Palestinian children queue to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, amid shortages in food supplies, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip December 14, 2023. REUTERS/Saleh Salem 
Palestinians line up for a free meal in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023. International aid agencies say Gaza is suffering from shortages of food, medicine and other basic supplies as a result of the two and a half month war between Israel and Hamas. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair) 
Palestinian children receive food at a UN-run school in Rafah, on the southern Gaza Strip on October 23, 2023 amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas militants. (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images) 
Israeli border police watch over protesters attempting to block the road as aid trucks cross into the Gaza Strip at the Kerem Shalom border crossing, southern Israel, 29 January 2024. Maya Levin for NPR 
Israeli activists block the exit of Ashdod port to stop trucks they claim are carrying humanitarian aid destined for the Gaza Strip, in Ashdod, Israel, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. The activists say no aid should enter the territory until Israeli hostages held captive by the Hamas militant group are released. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)