24 countries, including Canada, call for 'urgent action' to halt starvation in Gaza

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached "unimaginable levels," Canada, Britain, Australia and several of their European allies said on Tuesday, calling on Israel to allow unrestricted aid into the war-torn Palestinian enclave.

"Famine is unfolding before our eyes. Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation," the foreign ministers of 24 countries said in a joint statement.

"We call on the government of Israel to provide authorization for all international NGO [non-governmental organizations] aid shipments and to unblock essential humanitarian actors from operating," the statement said.

"All crossings and routes must be used to allow a flood of aid into Gaza, including food, nutrition supplies, shelter, fuel, clean water, medicine and medical equipment."

Israel has denied responsibility for hunger spreading in Gaza, accusing Hamas militants of stealing aid shipments, which Hamas denies. In response to a rising international uproar, however, Israel late last month announced steps to let more aid into the enclave, including pausing fighting for part of the day in some areas and announcing protected routes for aid convoys.

WATCH | Canada's military airdrops food into Gaza, but aid groups say it's inefficient:

The Canadian military has carried out an airdrop into Gaza for the first time, parachuting in nearly 10,000 kilograms of food aid. Aid organizations say airdrops are inefficient, but Canadian officials on the ground told CBC News that 'inaction is not an option.'

Western capitals, however, say much more aid is needed, and some countries have started airdrops of aid over Gaza.

The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Great Britain.

The EU sent an updated statement later on Tuesday to include EU member states Italy and Latvia as signatories of the statement.

The EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, and two other members of the European Commission also signed the statement.

Some EU member countries, including Germany and Hungary, did not sign it.

On Tuesday, Gaza's health ministry said 89 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli fire in the past 24 hours.

Five more people, including two children, have also died of starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said. This raised the number of deaths from the same causes to 227, including 103 children, since the war started.

Witnesses and medics said Israeli bombardments overnight killed seven people in two houses in Gaza City's Zeitoun suburb and another four in an apartment building in the city centre.

WATCH | Plan to expand Israeli military operation in Gaza causes global outcry:

Facing worldwide criticism, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his plan to take over one of Gaza’s most populous areas, in a press conference with international journalists. Netanyahu, who is facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, also blamed many of Gaza's problems on Hamas.

In the south of Gaza, five people, including a couple and their child, were killed by an Israeli airstrike on a house in the city of Khan Younis and four others by a strike on a tent encampment in nearby coastal al-Mawasi, medics said.

The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports of the latest bombardments and that its forces take precautions to mitigate civilian harm. Separately, it said its forces had killed dozens of militants in north Gaza over the past month and destroyed more tunnels used by militants in the area.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to expand military control over Gaza, expected to be launched in October, has increased a global outcry over the widespread devastation, displacement and hunger afflicting Gaza's 2.2 million people.

WATCH | Norway's wealth fund to divest from more Israeli companies:

Norway's $2-trillion wealth fund said Tuesday it expects to divest from more Israeli companies over the situation in Gaza and the West Bank. A review of investments began last week following media reports that the fund had built a stake of just over two per cent in an Israeli jet engine group that provides services to Israel's armed forces.

It has also stirred criticism in Israel, with the military chief of staff warning it could endanger surviving hostages and prove a death trap for Israeli soldiers. It has also raised fears of further displacement and hardship among the estimated one million Palestinians in the Gaza City region.

The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.

Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza since then has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.