The United Nations has condemned the “weaponisation of food” in Gaza as a war crime, urging Israel’s military to “stop shooting at people trying to get food”, AFP reports.

“Israel’s militarised humanitarian assistance mechanism is in contradiction with international standards on aid distribution,” the UN human rights office said in written notes provided before a briefing.

“The weaponisation of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services, constitutes a war crime.”