RAMALLAH, Palestine/ISTANBUL

The Palestinian Authority on Saturday appealed for urgent international action to push Israel to open Gaza’s sealed crossings, saying thousands of humanitarian aid trucks are stuck just outside the enclave while the entire population faces hunger.

In a statement, the PA described the situation as “catastrophic,” citing UN data showing food insecurity in Gaza has reached 100%. It accused Israel of deliberately using starvation as part of its ongoing military campaign.

“This war is not only killing our people with bombs, but with hunger as well,” the statement said, urging UN agencies and humanitarian organizations to step up efforts to pressure Israel to let aid in.

The appeal followed a stark warning from UNICEF on Friday that children in Gaza are dying at what it called an “unprecedented rate” as famine spreads under Israel’s blockade and bombardment.

The Gaza Health Ministry reported that at least 169 people, including 93 children, have died from hunger since last October.

UNRWA, the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, says nearly 6,000 of its aid trucks are waiting at Gaza’s land crossings for Israeli approval to enter, despite soaring humanitarian needs.

The World Food Programme estimates that one in four Gazans is now living in famine-like conditions, with about 100,000 women and children suffering acute malnutrition.

Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza for 18 years, and since March 2 has shut down all crossings, worsening humanitarian conditions in the enclave. Its army has killed more than 60,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the territory since October 2023.

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.