ACTIVISTS today labelled Gaza a “famine-stricken zone.”

Palestinian non-governmental organisations made the call at a news conference on Wednesday in the West Bank city of Ramallah as they set out the conditions being suffered by Palestinians in Gaza after months of Israeli bombing.

Speaking to the conference by video, Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network in Deir el-Balah, said: “What is required now is to declare Gaza Strip as a famine-stricken zone.”

He reported that sewage water was overflowing between tents, and that people were without any supply of water.

Mr Amjad said the situation was deteriorating by the minute and was made worse by the “ruthless, merciless bombardment by the Israeli warplanes.”

Muhammad Eida, a director of a Palestinian NGO, said Israel’s goal was to “starve the population” in Gaza.

He told the news conference Palestinians in Gaza are suffering from starvation, lack of medical supplies, malnutrition among children, dehydration and diseases from the contamination caused by the overflow of sewage water.

He said: “Many dead bodies are still trapped underneath the ruins,” while others are “still strewn on the roads.”

The director of the Centre of the Defence of Liberties and Civil Rights, Helmy al-Araj, slammed the United States for sending Israel the weapons that bombed a tent camp in Rafah that killed dozens of Palestinians.

He said: “We reiterate that the US is an accomplice in this crime, as they continue to support Israel and provide them with arms.” 

But on Tuesday, the US said they did not believe Israel’s attacks on Rafah amounted to a “major ground operation” and that it had not crossed any of the so-called “red lines” that would trigger a change in US policy.

President Joe Biden said he would limit the supply of weapons to Israel if it entered the densely populated centres of Rafah, where thousands of Palestinian civilians are seeking shelter from the fighting.

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby described an Israeli attack on Rafah on Sunday which killed at least 45 Palestinians as “heartbreaking” and “horrific.”

But, he added, Israel had not smashed into Rafah so there would be no US policy change.

“We have not seen them go in with large units, large numbers of troops, in columns and formations in sort of co-ordinated manoeuvre against multiple targets on the ground.”

The Israeli retaliation was sparked by a surprise Hamas attack on October 7, during which some 1,200 civilians were killed and around 250 abducted.

The Gaza Health Ministry reports that at least 36,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel’s response with about 10,000 more missing.