Britain has joined 27 other countries in accusing Israel of “drip feeding” aid to starving Palestinians while depriving civilians of their “human dignity”.

A statement signed by the foreign ministers from countries including France, Canada and Japan demanded that Israel “immediately” lift restrictions on the flow of aid to Gaza. They warned that the suffering of civilians had “reached new depths”.

In the House of Commons, David Lammy, the foreign secretary, described the new Israeli aid system as “grotesque”, saying that it was forcing “desperate civilians” including children to “scramble unsafely for the essentials of life”.

• Starvation in Gaza: ‘Aid is just another injustice’

“The new Israeli aid system is inhumane, dangerous, and it is depriving Gazans of human dignity,” he said. “It is a grotesque spectacle, wreaking a terrible human cost.”

The condemnation came as Israel launched air raids targeting Deir al-Balah, the main hub for humanitarian efforts in Gaza. On Sunday at least 85 people were killed as they attempted to reach aid distribution sites.

Israel has restricted humanitarian aid in Gaza to just four distribution hubs, close to Israeli military positions, instead of the 400 centres previously run by the UN.

Most of the food supplies Israel has allowed into the territory go to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an American group backed by Israel. Since its operations began in May, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in shootings by Israeli soldiers while heading to the sites, according to witnesses.

Israel has rejected criticism of its conduct, saying that its forces have acted lawfully. It has blamed the civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in populated areas. Israel has also criticised the foreign ministers’ statement, saying that it “sends the wrong message to Hamas”.

In their joint statement, the foreign ministers said the suffering of civilians in Gaza had reached “new depths” and called on Israel to comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.

“The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,” the statement said. “We condemn the drip-feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food.

“It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid. The Israeli government’s denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable.”

Lammy said that two million people were trapped in a small area of Gaza

Significantly, the letter said that the group of nations were “prepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political pathway to security and peace”. This is understood to include recognising a state of Palestine, something that so far the UK has resisted doing.

Speaking to MPs on the Commons liaison committee, Sir Keir Starmer described the situation on the ground as “intolerable on so many levels”.

“We make that absolutely clear in all of our exchanges with Israel,” he said. “Whether that’s the deaths for those that are queuing for aid, whether it’s the plans to force Palestinians to live in certain areas or excluded from certain areas, they’re all intolerable and absolutely wrong in principle.

“We have taken action in terms of sanctions, in terms of what we’re doing with arms sales and we are working hard with allies to ensure we bring about a ceasefire.”

Lammy said that Israel had removed Palestinians from 86 per cent of the Gaza Strip, leaving two million people trapped in an area of just 20 square miles.

He said that the UK would provide an extra £40 million in humanitarian assistance in Gaza this year, including £20 million to support United Nations services for Palestinian refugees.