ISTANBUL 

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) accused Israel on Tuesday of pursuing a deliberate and politically motivated starvation policy against the population of Gaza.

“The manmade and politically motivated starvation in Gaza is an expression of absolute cruelty,” the agency said in a statement on X.

It stressed that “it cannot be addressed by weaponizing humanitarian assistance.”

The agency also criticized Israel’s proposed aid distribution mechanism, arguing that it “falls far short from addressing the devastating hunger.”

UNRWA reiterated that humanitarian agencies are committed to reaching all those in need, without exception.

Since Israel closed Gaza’s border crossings on March 2, the enclave’s humanitarian crisis has deepened, with severe shortages of food, medicine, fuel and clean water.

According to Palestinian health authorities, 57 people—mostly children—have died from hunger, and the toll is expected to rise.

Israel’s security Cabinet approved a joint Israeli-American plan Sunday to resume limited aid to Gaza through an international fund and private firms. Aid would be delivered to “humanitarian compounds” in southern Gaza—an approach rejected by Palestinian officials and international organizations as inhumane and inconsistent with global humanitarian standards.

The Palestinian government dismissed the plan as an attempt to bypass UN agencies, while Hamas condemned it as a “tool of political blackmail” and part of Israel’s broader strategy of displacement and starvation.

A recent World Bank report confirmed that Gaza’s 2.4 million residents now rely almost entirely on aid after 20 months of genocide and a blockade have decimated the territory’s economy and infrastructure.