There is a "narrow window" to prevent famine from spreading further in Gaza, a top UN official said on Sunday, calling on Israel to allow unimpeded aid delivery in the territory.
According to a global hunger monitor, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are already experiencing or at risk of famine in areas including Gaza City, the enclave's largest urban centre, where Israel has launched a new offensive against Hamas.
Israel, which stopped all aid for 11 weeks from March until mid-May, says it is doing more to let aid enter and be distributed in the enclave to prevent food shortages, though international agencies say far more is needed.
"There is a narrow window - until the end of September - to prevent famine from spreading to Deir Al Balah (in central Gaza) and Khan Yunis (southern Gaza). That window is now closing fast," said United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher.
COGAT, the Israeli defence agency that deals with humanitarian issues, said on Sunday that over the past week aid from more than 1,900 trucks, most supplying food, was distributed in Gaza.
"We will continue facilitating humanitarian aid into Gaza for the civilian population," COGAT said in a statement.
Israel last month launched an assault on the outskirts of Gaza City and its forces are now just a few kilometres from the city centre, where it issued warnings over the weekend to civilians to evacuate high-rise buildings, before bombing them.
Overnight, strikes killed 14 people across the city, local health officials said, including a strike on a school in southern Gaza City sheltering displaced Palestinians.
The military on Saturday also warned Gaza City's civilians to leave for the south, including Khan Yunis, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are already sheltering in cramped tent encampments along the coast.
With hundreds of thousands of people remaining in Gaza City, pressure is growing to end the war.
"We want an end to this war. How long is this going to go on? How many lives are going to be wasted? Enough is enough," said Gaza City resident Emad by phone.
The war has grown increasingly unpopular among Israelis, too. On Saturday night, tens of thousands of protesters joined families of hostages at rallies, calling for an end to the war and demanding the release of the captives. — AFP
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