Gaza faces a 'catastrophic' famine as UN says aid being drip-fed rather than flowing

Gaza is the "hungriest place on Earth" and facing catastrophe, the UN has warned, as aid continues to struggle to reach starving Palestinians.

- RACHEL CLUN

The UN's humanitarian office said Israel was allowing a "trickle" of food into the enclave when it should be a "flood", with 300 aid trucks unable to offload due to operational bottlenecks.

The warning comes as hopes for a 60-day ceasefire and hostage exchange proposed by the Americans hang in the balance.

Hamas said it was "reviewing" the Israel-backed plans but has already claimed the deal lacks a commitment to end the conflict.

Meanwhile, the crisis on the ground continues to escalate, with Israel ordering the evacuation of the last functioning hospital in northern Gaza, while at least 14 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes yesterday.

Last week, Israel partially lifted an 11-week blockade of aid into Gaza, allowing a limited amount of aid into the territory through a new but heavily criticised system introduced by Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokesperson Jens Laerke said aid deliveries were still severely restricted, as hunger and malnutrition spread among the increasingly desperate 2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza.

"It is drip-feeding food into an area on the verge of catastrophic hunger," he said in a press briefing in Geneva. "It's not a flood." Mr Laerke called for immediate changes to how aid was being allowed into the enclave so food could be delivered "directly to families", pointing out that almost no ready-to-eat food was entering.