ANKARA

The World Food Program (WFP) has reported that two Palestinians were killed when dozens of people stormed an aid warehouse in the central Gaza Strip in search of food, with famine levels growing due to the ongoing Israeli closure of crossings and denial of aid entry since early March.

"Hordes of hungry people broke into WFP's Al-Ghafari warehouse in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, in search of food supplies that were pre-positioned for distribution," the UN food agency said in a statement late Wednesday.

It added that "initial reports indicate two people died and several were injured in the tragic incident."

"Humanitarian needs have spiraled out of control after (Israel's) 80 days of complete blockade of all assistance and other aid into Gaza," WFP also said.

It stressed that the war-devastated Palestinian enclave "needs an immediate scale-up of food assistance. This is the only way to reassure people that they will not starve."

Israel has kept Gaza crossings closed to food, as well as medical and humanitarian aid, since March 2, deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis in the enclave, according to government, human rights, and international reports.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing over 54,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

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 crimes against civilians in the enclave.