'Denying civilians access to food may amount to a war crime, as well as potentially a crime against humanity,' warns the UN high commissioner Volker Turk.

In a written statement, Turk described the situation in Gaza as ‘an insult to the whole of humanity’, adding that the images of the hunger crisis were ‘heartbreaking and unbearable’."The amount of aid authorised is far below the needs," Turk said, noting the severe restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation regime on the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The UN official emphasised that the delays were leading directly to the loss of life, and called on the regime to allow "rapid, adequate and unhindered" delivery of aid.

Turk stressed that this serves as yet another reminder that the violence must end once and for all, adding: "Saving lives must be everyone’s priority." Stating that the prevention of access to food constitutes a clearly war crime, Turk pointed out that the current conditions gravely violate international law.

In his statement, Turk reiterated his call for the release of the soldiers held by the resistance groups against the Zionist regime, but did not mention the systematic torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian prisoners in occupation prisons.

Israeli occupation regime tightened the siege on Gaza after the attacks it launched in 2023 and closed all border crossings in March 2025, completely halting the entry of humanitarian, medical and food aid. Since then, hunger has spread rapidly in the region, with UN reports describing the situation as "catastrophic." (ILKHA)