A boat laden with food for Palestinians in Gaza was “ready” to set sail from Cyprus, an NGO said, as fighting raged between Israeli troops and Hamas ahead of Ramazan.

The sea route aims to counter aid access restrictions, which humanitarians and foreign governments have blamed on Israel, more than five months into the conflict which has left Gaza’s 2.4 million people struggling to survive.

Hopes were fading fast for a pause in the fighting before Ramazan, which could begin as early as today depending on the lunar calendar, as Israel accused Hamas of seeking to “inflame” the region during the Muslim fasting month.

US President Joe Biden said Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the conflict was “hurting Israel more than helping Israel”, during an interview with MSNBC broadcast yesterday.

Netanyahu “has a right to defend Israel, a right to continue to pursue Hamas,” Biden said, but added that “he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken”.