International organisations and aid agencies have called for an immediate ceasefire to end a “haemorrhage of human lives” in Gaza, warning that the situation could quickly spiral out of control, Reuters reports.

They made their appeals at a conference in Paris intended to coordinate aid and assess how to help people wounded in Gaza since Israeli launched its ground and air offensive in response to an attack by Hamas on southern Israel on Oct 7.

Representatives of Arab nations, Western powers and members of the Group of 20 major economies are among those attending the conference, but Israel was not invited and few heads of state, government or foreign ministers were there.