GAZA CITY, Palestine

A massive famine is unfolding in the Gaza Strip amid a deadly Israeli offensive on the Palestinian enclave, the government media office said Tuesday. 

"Famine is worsening day by day in the Gaza Strip, where nearly 2.4 million people live," the media office said in a statement.

It said more than 700,000 Palestinians are facing starvation in northern Gaza, where the Israeli army conducted a deadly ground offensive.

“The occupation is pursuing a policy of starvation and thirst, leading to famine, as part of its genocidal war against civilians, children, and women,” it added.

The media office appealed for lifting Israel’s siege on Gaza and allowing the entry of 10,000 aid trucks in the next two days.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed nearly 29,195 and injured about 69,170 with mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.  

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Ankara