Gaza’s Ministry of Interior and National Security has issued a statement accusing Israel’s military of pursuing a policy of targeting its staff “carrying out their duty of securing aid trucks distributed by international organisations, preventing them from reaching those in need safely”, Al Jazeera reports.

It also accused Israeli forces of sponsoring “networks of thieves and thugs to seize control of aid trucks, depriving more than two million citizens of safe access and perpetuating famine in the Strip”.

Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of hijacking aid trucks throughout the Gaza Strip, blaming the starvation of Palestinians on the group. An internal Israeli army investigation found these claims to be untrue.

“This is a blatant attempt by the occupation to absolve itself of legal responsibility for using starvation as a weapon in times of war,” the statement read.

This strategy forces Palestinians to travel long distances for aid, putting themselves at great risk, the statement says, adding that this has led to the “destruction of some of the aid supplies due to stampede and overcrowding”.

“Meanwhile, the occupation directly targets them and commits massacres, killing dozens daily near the routes leading to the entry of aid,” the statement said.