Hamas says Israel’s actions across Gaza are “systematic ethnic cleansing in which killing, starvation and thirst are used as tools of genocide”, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement, Hamas said the deaths of more than 70 children from malnutrition were a “stain on humanity” and the silence from the international community was an “additional crime”.

“Thousands of tonnes of aid are stuck behind the Rafah crossing as Gazans die of hunger, thirst, and disease. We hold the occupation and the US administration fully responsible for the massacres at aid points and the systematic killing mechanism in Gaza,” the group said.

Hamas called for an urgent investigation into the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, at whose sites more than 900 people have been killed while seeking life-saving aid.