Hamas says Israel’s use of “starvation as a weapon” against Palestinians in Gaza represents a “contempt for the international community”, Al Jazeera reports.

“The UNRWA Commissioner’s statements about the occupation’s use of UNRWA employees as human shields revealed the brutality of this entity. We call on all countries of the world and United Nations institutions to pressure the occupation to lift the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip,” Hamas said in a statement.

“We call on all countries of the world and United Nations institutions to pressure the occupation to end the systematic starvation crime,” the group said, adding a renewed call on Arab and Muslim countries to urgently provide relief to people in Gaza.