Gaza’s government media office has accused Israel and the United States of “purposefully” worsening famine-like conditions in Gaza by “withholding humanitarian aid as a tool for political pressure”, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement, the media office said Israel and the US administration are “deliberately aggravating the humanitarian situation” in Gaza to achieve political goals.

About 2.4 million Palestinians are living under extremely harsh circumstances, especially in Gaza’s north where famine has taken hold of the area, the media office said.

Tens of thousands of sick and wounded people have no access to food or medicine amid a continuation of the border closures, it added.