Tehran, IRNA – All relevant official authorities and competent UN and international institutions should officially declare famine in the Gaza Strip in light of the current rapid spread of famine and the rates of acute malnutrition and its expansion geographically and among all groups, especially among children, said 70 organizations in a joint statement on Saturday.

Food insecurity is increasing throughout the Gaza Strip due to the Zionist use of starvation as a weapon of war against the Palestinian people, which the organizations said is part of a larger crime of genocide.

The organizations stated that food security levels have significantly declined as a result of the Zionist army's ground operation in Rafah City, south of the Gaza Strip.

Thousands of trucks on the other side of the Rafah crossing have been at a standstill for weeks and are inaccessible to the residents whose lives depend on them due to the Zionist regime’s decision to starve the people of the Gaza Strip, close the crossings, the statement said.

The organizations called on Tel Aviv to act immediately to implement the precautionary measures announced by the International Court of Justice regarding the opening of the Rafah crossing in order to provide basic services and much-needed humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza.

9341**2050