BEIRUT: With international aid agencies warning of a humanitarian crisis, Lebanon’s trapped families are desperately stocking up on food and emergency supplies as Israel pursues its deadly military bombardment with no sign of a let-up.

In some villages in the south it is already too late — the shelves have been stripped bare, and officials say babies are already showing signs of malnutrition.

“Israel is launching its offensive in order to starve the Lebanese,” Social Affairs Minister Nayal Moawad said.

People in Ain Abel, a southern village, called for urgent help this week saying they were already suffering food shortages.

And in the border town of Alma Al-Cha’ib, mayor Nicolas Farah urged aid organisations to help “the villagers under siege” who are short of medices, bread and water.

US-based Human Rights Watch quoted Freddy Yarak, an adviser to the social affairs ministry, as saying: “Were having problems with the malnutrition of babies.”

Israel’s bombardment has killed in excess of 300 people and displaced about half a million, as well as shut Beirut’s international airport and dramatically hit supplies being ferried into the country by truck.

“Israel is legally obliged to permit free passage of materials essential for civilians and to protect humanitarian personnel delivering those supplies,” HRW said.

Local Lebanese have little faith that supplies will be allowed to flow.

“In the past week my sales have gone up 200 per cent,” said Camille Najjar who runs a small grocery store in the eastern capital district of Ashrafiyeh.

“But I received a quarter of my regular soft drink shipment this morning. The delivery man said they had no more stock because there was no more production.”

In one of Beirut’s large supermarkets, near the once posh Hamra street, the displays are well-stocked as usual. The fruits and vegetables are fresh, and include African bananas and fat mangos from Egypt.

“For the moment we are drawing from our own stocks and we can keep on this way for about two weeks,” said a store manager.

But in other regions, the store shelves are already empty.

The Israeli air force has destroyed a major food distribution facility east of Beirut and Lebanon’s largest dairy, located in the east of the country.

“This is an economic war,” said Sami Salman, director of Transmediterranean food distribution company, one of the largest suppliers in Lebanon, which was struck by Israeli missiles on Tuesday.

“There is no need for delusions because there is a systematic destruction of industrial infrastructure in Lebanon,” he said.

“The businesses affected have absolutely nothing to do with Hezbollah,” he added, referring to the guerrilla group that Israel has vowed to crush.

Medical reserves are also dangerously low.—AFP