Jordan’s King Abdullah has urged UN aid officials and international NGOs to pile pressure on Israel to allow more aid into the beleaguered Gaza enclave where the humanitarian situation is worsening, officials and aid workers have said.

According to Reuters, they said the monarch told an emergency meeting in Amman of UN officials, heads of Western non-governmental organisations, and representatives of Arab donors it was unacceptable that Israel continued to hold back sufficient aid flows into the densely populated enclave, home to 2.3 million people.

“The monarch urged the international aid community to do their bit and save Gazans who have endured a brutal conflict that has turned their land into an unliveable place,” said one delegate who requested anonymity since deliberations were taking place confidentially as requested by the royal palace organisers.

The palace was not immediately available for comment.