ANKARA

Gaza’s ambulances blared their sirens in unison on Sunday in a desperate cry for help as Israel continued a stifling blockade that has caused a deepening famine in the enclave.

The distress call comes as an “urgent warning over worsening famine and the deteriorating health situation in the Gaza Strip,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Gaza’s government media office, for its part, described the current situation in Gaza as “extremely dangerous,” citing Israel’s full closure of all crossings for over 140 consecutive days.

“We are on the threshold of mass death,” the office said, accusing the international community of turning a blind eye to “the slaughter of Gaza through starvation and genocide.”

The Israeli army has killed nearly 59,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave, making it uninhabitable.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.