Britain has joined 27 other countries in accusing Israel of \u201cdrip feeding\u201d aid to starving Palestinians while depriving civilians of their \u201chuman dignity\u201d.<\/p>\n
A statement signed by the foreign ministers from countries including France, Canada and Japan demanded that Israel \u201cimmediately\u201d lift restrictions on the flow of aid to Gaza. They warned that the suffering of civilians had \u201creached new depths\u201d.<\/p>\n
In the House of Commons, David Lammy<\/a>, the foreign secretary, described the new Israeli aid system as \u201cgrotesque\u201d, saying that it was forcing \u201cdesperate civilians\u201d including children to \u201cscramble unsafely for the essentials of life\u201d.<\/p>\n \u2022 Starvation in Gaza: \u2018Aid is just another injustice\u2019<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe new Israeli aid system is inhumane, dangerous, and it is depriving Gazans of human dignity,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is a grotesque spectacle, wreaking a terrible human cost.\u201d<\/p>\n The condemnation came as Israel launched air raids targeting Deir al-Balah<\/a>, the main hub for humanitarian efforts in Gaza. On Sunday at least 85 people were killed as they attempted to reach aid distribution sites.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019 statement, saying that it \u201csends the wrong message to Hamas\u201d.<\/p>\n In their joint statement, the foreign ministers said the suffering of civilians in Gaza had reached \u201cnew depths\u201d and called on Israel to comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Israeli government\u2019s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,\u201d the statement said. \u201cWe condemn the drip-feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children<\/a>, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid. The Israeli government\u2019s denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n Lammy said that two million people were trapped in a small area of Gaza<\/p>\n Significantly, the letter said that the group of nations were \u201cprepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political pathway to security and peace\u201d. This is understood to include recognising a state of Palestine, something that so far the UK has resisted doing.<\/p>\n