Jerusalem: Israel has pushed back against mounting international criticism over widespread food shortages in Gaza, instead accusing Hamas of intentionally creating a humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory.

Over 100 humanitarian and rights groups, including prominent organisations such as Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Save the Children, and Oxfam, issued a joint statement warning that "mass starvation" was spreading across the Gaza Strip. France echoed those concerns, warning of an increased "risk of famine" stemming from the blockade imposed by Israel.

World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also voiced alarm, stating, “A large proportion of the population of Gaza is starving... I don't know what you would call it other than mass starvation -- and it's man-made.”

In response, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer denied responsibility, claiming, “There is no famine caused by Israel. There is a man-made shortage engineered by Hamas.”

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President Isaac Herzog, speaking while visiting troops stationed in Gaza, insisted that Israel was operating "in accordance with international law" and accused Hamas of deliberately obstructing aid deliveries to undermine Israel’s military efforts.

Aid access and accusations

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) -- an organisation backed by the United States and Israel -- began distributing aid in May after Israel eased a two-month total blockade. This new aid mechanism has largely sidelined the long-standing UN-led system. However, aid groups have pointed out that entry permissions remain limited, and coordinating deliveries within an active war zone continues to pose severe logistical challenges.

Mencer accused Hamas of preventing the distribution of aid and seizing supplies for its own benefit or to sell at inflated prices. “Aid has been flowing into Gaza,” he said, but blamed the United Nations and its partners for failing to retrieve cleared truckloads of essential goods sitting on the Gaza side of the border.

The GHF has also criticised the UN for refusing to cooperate with it due to neutrality concerns, instead urging greater collaboration to ensure life-saving aid reaches civilians.

COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body responsible for civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, maintained that the main impediment to consistent aid flow was a “collection bottleneck” on the part of international organisations.

On the ground: Hunger, deaths, and delays

Meanwhile, Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that Israeli air strikes killed at least 17 people overnight, including a pregnant woman in Gaza City. The Israeli military said it had targeted dozens of “terror sites” across the territory as operations continued in Gaza City and the north.

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The dire humanitarian situation has become a focal point in the conflict. Aid agencies report growing cases of malnutrition and starvation, particularly among children. The 111 aid groups warned that warehouses packed with tonnes of relief supplies are sitting idle inside and outside Gaza, as civilians remain trapped in “a cycle of hope and heartbreak” waiting for food and a ceasefire.

“It is not just physical torment but psychological. Survival is dangled like a mirage,” the joint statement read.

In Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza, residents described desperate scenes as they scrambled for food aid. “It’s a catastrophic scene and a real famine,” one local told AFP.

The United Nations has said that Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians attempting to access food from GHF distribution sites. Both GHF and Israeli officials have accused Hamas of firing on civilians at these locations.

Ceasefire talks and casualty figures

The United States has announced that its top Middle East envoy is heading to Europe to hold talks aimed at securing a ceasefire and establishing a humanitarian aid corridor. Negotiators from Israel and Hamas have been meeting in Doha since 6 July, but have made little progress, with both sides blaming each other for the impasse.

The war, which began after Hamas launched a deadly cross-border assault on 7 October 2023, has left 59,219 Palestinians dead, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. On the Israeli side, 1,219 people, also mostly civilians, were killed during the initial attack, according to an AFP tally based on official sources.