Hisham Mhanna of the International Committee of the Red Cross says he hopes humanitarian aid for the people of war-torn Gaza won’t be “politicised”, Al Jazeera reports.

“We continue to urge all parties to allow [aid] access for all civilians … hospitals, medical teams and humanitarian workers so that they can continue with their life-saving work,” he told Al Jazeera from Gaza.

Moreover, Mhanna said ongoing fighting in the besieged enclave made it difficult for aid agencies to operate.

“There should be a complete ceasefire so that the humanitarian aid can help alleviate, even if slightly, the suffering of civilians,” adding that political efforts were needed to ensure there wasn’t a collapse of the humanitarian sector in Gaza.