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Israel is facing intensifying international condemnation for its killing of starving Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and its attacks on humanitarian efforts, as the UN secretary general, António Guterres, said the “last lifelines keeping people alive [in the strip] are collapsing”.

An angry chorus of senior figures, among them the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, and a senior Catholic cleric, expressed on Tuesday a growing sense of global horror over Israel’s actions.

“I spoke again with [the Israeli foreign minister] Gideon Saar to recall our understanding on aid flow and made clear that IDF [Israel Defense Forces] must stop killing people at distribution points,” the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, wrote on X. “The killing of civilians seeking aid in Gaza is indefensible.”

She said “all options were on the table” if Israel does not deliver on aid pledges, but did not say what those options included.

According to UN officials on Tuesday, more than 1,000 desperate Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the end of May trying to reach food distributions run by the controversial US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) amid widening conditions of starvation in the Palestinian territory.

The comments came as Israeli forces attacked warehousing and staff accommodation in Deir al-Balah – Gaza’s main aid hub – belonging to the World Health Organization.

The Israeli strikes on WHO facilities came as Israel cancelled the work visa of Jonathan Whittall, the head of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) inside Gaza and the most senior UN aid official in the coastal strip.

Speaking to the UN security council on Tuesday, Guterres described the situation in Gaza as a “horror show” condemning the Israeli attacks on UN offices.

“Malnourishment is soaring and starvation is knocking on every door in Gaza,”Guterres said. “And now we are seeing the last gasp of a humanitarian system built on humanitarian principles. That system is being denied the conditions to function. Denied the space to deliver. Denied the safety to save lives.”

Guterres’ comments came hours after a hard-hitting joint statement on Monday by 27 western countries including the UK, France, Australia and Canada harshly criticising Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid and calling for an immediate end to the war.

Guterres said he “deplored the growing reports of children and adults suffering from malnutrition” as health officials in Gaza reported a further 33 deaths, including 12 children, in the past 48 hours.

Lammy amplified that message in an interview with the BBC on Tuesday, describing himself as “appalled [and] sickened” by what was happening in Gaza.

“These are not words that are usually used by a foreign secretary who is attempting to be diplomatic,” Lammy said.

“But when you see innocent children holding out their hand for food, and you see them shot and killed in the way that we have seen in the last few days, of course Britain must call it out.”

Thameen Al-Kheetan, a UN human rights office spokesperson, said: “Over 1,000 Palestinians have now been killed by the Israeli military while trying to get food in Gaza since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operating.

“As of 21 July, we have recorded 1,054 people killed in Gaza while trying to get food; 766 of them were killed in the vicinity of GHF sites and 288 near UN and other humanitarian organisations’ aid convoys.”

The head of the UN’s main agency for Palestinians, Unrwa, on Tuesday described Gaza as a “hell on earth”.

Philippe Lazzarini said Unrwa’s own staff, as well as doctors and humanitarian workers, were fainting on duty owing to hunger and exhaustion as Israel limited access to life-saving humanitarian aid, and that many were surviving on a single small meal a day.

“Caretakers, including Unrwa colleagues in Gaza, are also in need of care now – doctors, nurses, journalists, humanitarians, among them Unrwa staff, are hungry. Many are now fainting due to hunger and exhaustion while performing their duties,” he said in a statement at a media briefing in Geneva.

The UN World Food Programme on Monday said its assessments showed a quarter of the population of Gaza was facing “famine-like” conditions and almost 100,000 women and children were suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

The most recent assessment of hunger in Gaza by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a group that includes the World Food Programme and the WHO, said about 10% of the territory’s population – 244,000 people – were facing catastrophic levels of hunger and 93% were experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity.

Separately, the Roman Catholic church’s most senior cleric in the Holy Land said the humanitarian situation in Gaza was “morally unacceptable”, after visiting the wartorn Palestinian territory.

“We have seen men holding out in the sun for hours in the hope of a simple meal,” Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, told a news conference. “It’s morally unacceptable and unjustified.”

Despite the high-profile criticism in recent days, aid agencies have criticised the lack of meaningful action by the governments who signed the joint statement, including the UK, against Israel.

Kristyan Benedict, of Amnesty International UK, said the British government’s “failure to take robust measures to prevent genocide is no accident”, adding that “as a state party to the genocide convention, the UK has a legal duty to prevent and punish genocide – a duty it is failing miserably to uphold”.

The growing international furore came as Israeli troops pushed into the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, where a number of international aid organisations are based, in what appeared to be the latest effort to carve up the Palestinian territory with military corridors.

Deir al-Balah is the only city in the Gaza Strip that has not experienced major ground operations or suffered widespread devastation in 21 months of war, leading to speculation that the Hamas militant group holds large numbers of hostages there.

A French court on Monday jailed three people for human trafficking in the champagne industry, exploiting seasonal workers and housing them in appalling conditions.

The Champagne region is under tough scrutiny, with another inquiry looking into the use of Ukrainian workers during the same 2023 harvest, which was marked by exceptional heat and the deaths of four grape-pickers.

A lawyer for the victims — more than 50 mostly undocumented migrant workers from Mali, Mauritania, Ivory Coast and Senegal — said the court had made a “historic” decision.

The victims, who said they had been treated “like slaves,” also praised the ruling.

“The people were working in really bad conditions, and this decision is fair,” said Amadou Diallo, a 39-year-old from Senegal.

The workers, all undocumented migrants, were found during the 2023 September harvest living in cramped and unhygienic conditions in a building at Nesle-le-Repons in the heart of champagne country, the BBC reported.

The court sentenced the director of a servicing company called Anavim, a Kyrgyz woman in her 40s, to two years behind bars, and another two years suspended.

She had denied being responsible for the housing conditions, and blamed the two other defendants suspected of recruiting the harvesters.

The court sentenced the two others, both men in their 30s, to one year in jail, alongside suspended terms. One is a man from the country of Georgia and the other is a Frenchman, the BBC reported.

All three were found guilty of human trafficking — defined under French law as “recruiting, transporting, transferring, housing or receiving a person to exploit them,” by means of coerced employment, abusing a position of authority, abusing a vulnerable situation or in exchange of payment or benefits.

Some workers were recruited via a Whatsapp group message for the West African Soninke ethnic community living in Paris, which promised “well-paid work” in the Champagne region, the BBC reported.

The Anavim director was also found guilty of crimes including concealing employment of workers.

The court in Chalons-en-Champagne dissolved the servicing company and ordered a wine-making cooperative it worked with to pay a $87,000 fine.

The court ordered the three guilty to pay 4,000 euros each to each victim.

A lawyer for the Anavim director called the ruling “unfair” and said there would be an appeal.

“My client is the ideal culprit for an industry that has long turned a blind eye to its own practices,” said Bruno Questel.

“No food, no water, no nothing”

Maxime Cessieux, an attorney for the victims, said the 2025 harvest “will be closely scrutinized and no one will be able to say ‘I didn’t know, I didn’t understand, I didn’t know who these people in my vineyards were.’”

In September 2023, the labor inspectorate found that the accommodation provided by Anavim for grape-pickers southwest of Reims “seriously undermined” their safety, health and dignity.

The accommodation was subsequently closed by the prefecture, which had pointed to makeshift bedding and “the appalling state of the toilets, washrooms and communal areas.”

Camara Sikou, one of the victims, told the court the workers had been treated “like slaves.”

“They put us in an abandoned building, with no food, no water, no nothing,” added Modibo Sidibe, who said the workers were in the fields from 5 a.m. until 6 p.m.

“I never thought the people who made champagne would put us up in a place which even animals would not accept,” Kanouitié Djakariayou, 44, told La Croix newspaper, per the BBC.

The Comite Champagne, which represents winegrowers and champagne houses, was a plaintiff in the trial.

“You don’t play with the health and safety of seasonal workers. Nor are we playing with the image of our appellation,” the trade association said.

The CGT champagne trade union said the punishment was not sufficient.

“What we are asking for is the downgrading of the harvest” in the zones where the offenses were committed so it could no longer be used to produce champagne, said Jose Blanco, CGT general secretary.

Every year, around 120,000 seasonal workers are recruited to pick the grapes grown across 84,000 acres in the Champagne region.

In 2023, four harvesters died, possibly the result of sunstroke after working in scorching heat.

A service provider and its manager will go on trial in November on suspicion of having housed 40 Ukrainians in unfit conditions.

A French court on Monday jailed three people for human trafficking in the champagne industry, exploiting seasonal workers and housing them in appalling conditions.

The Champagne region is under tough scrutiny, with another inquiry looking into the use of Ukrainian workers during the same 2023 harvest, which was marked by exceptional heat and the deaths of four grape-pickers.

A lawyer for the victims — more than 50 mostly undocumented migrant workers from Mali, Mauritania, Ivory Coast and Senegal — said the court had made a “historic” decision.

The victims, who said they had been treated “like slaves,” also praised the ruling.

“The people were working in really bad conditions, and this decision is fair,” said Amadou Diallo, a 39-year-old from Senegal.

The workers, all undocumented migrants, were found during the 2023 September harvest living in cramped and unhygienic conditions in a building at Nesle-le-Repons in the heart of champagne country, the BBC reported.

The court sentenced the director of a servicing company called Anavim, a Kyrgyz woman in her 40s, to two years behind bars, and another two years suspended.

She had denied being responsible for the housing conditions, and blamed the two other defendants suspected of recruiting the harvesters.

The court sentenced the two others, both men in their 30s, to one year in jail, alongside suspended terms. One is a man from the country of Georgia and the other is a Frenchman, the BBC reported.

All three were found guilty of human trafficking — defined under French law as “recruiting, transporting, transferring, housing or receiving a person to exploit them,” by means of coerced employment, abusing a position of authority, abusing a vulnerable situation or in exchange of payment or benefits.

Some workers were recruited via a Whatsapp group message for the West African Soninke ethnic community living in Paris, which promised “well-paid work” in the Champagne region, the BBC reported.

The Anavim director was also found guilty of crimes including concealing employment of workers.

The court in Chalons-en-Champagne dissolved the servicing company and ordered a wine-making cooperative it worked with to pay a $87,000 fine.

The court ordered the three guilty to pay 4,000 euros each to each victim.

A lawyer for the Anavim director called the ruling “unfair” and said there would be an appeal.

“My client is the ideal culprit for an industry that has long turned a blind eye to its own practices,” said Bruno Questel.

“No food, no water, no nothing”

Maxime Cessieux, an attorney for the victims, said the 2025 harvest “will be closely scrutinized and no one will be able to say ‘I didn’t know, I didn’t understand, I didn’t know who these people in my vineyards were.’”

In September 2023, the labor inspectorate found that the accommodation provided by Anavim for grape-pickers southwest of Reims “seriously undermined” their safety, health and dignity.

The accommodation was subsequently closed by the prefecture, which had pointed to makeshift bedding and “the appalling state of the toilets, washrooms and communal areas.”

Camara Sikou, one of the victims, told the court the workers had been treated “like slaves.”

“They put us in an abandoned building, with no food, no water, no nothing,” added Modibo Sidibe, who said the workers were in the fields from 5 a.m. until 6 p.m.

“I never thought the people who made champagne would put us up in a place which even animals would not accept,” Kanouitié Djakariayou, 44, told La Croix newspaper, per the BBC.

The Comite Champagne, which represents winegrowers and champagne houses, was a plaintiff in the trial.

“You don’t play with the health and safety of seasonal workers. Nor are we playing with the image of our appellation,” the trade association said.

The CGT champagne trade union said the punishment was not sufficient.

“What we are asking for is the downgrading of the harvest” in the zones where the offenses were committed so it could no longer be used to produce champagne, said Jose Blanco, CGT general secretary.

Every year, around 120,000 seasonal workers are recruited to pick the grapes grown across 84,000 acres in the Champagne region.

In 2023, four harvesters died, possibly the result of sunstroke after working in scorching heat.

A service provider and its manager will go on trial in November on suspicion of having housed 40 Ukrainians in unfit conditions.

Belgian police say they have questioned two Israelis after two pro-Palestinian groups alleged they had been waving flags from their army brigade at the Tomorrowland music festival.

The men were briefly detained and then released after they had been interviewed, prosecutors said.

The Hind Rajab Foundation and Global Legal Action Network said they had filed a complaint after a group of young Israelis was seen flying the purple-and-white flag of the Givati Brigade, alleging the pair had committed war crimes in Gaza.

The Givati flag was among several Israeli flags waved during a set by Israeli DJ duo Vini Vici at Tomorrowland last Friday.

Prosecutors said no further details would be released about the case at this stage. The Hind Rajab Foundation called the arrest of the Israelis a “significant step forward”.

They are not thought to have been prevented from leaving Belgium.

The BBC contacted the Israeli embassy in Brussels, which declined to comment other than to confirm that the two men had been released.

Before detaining the pair, prosecutors said they had decided they could investigate the allegations under Belgium’s universal jurisdiction law, which allows local courts to hear cases involving alleged crimes committed outside Belgium.

The law was updated last year to enable Belgian police to gather evidence of violations.

The European Jewish Association said in a statement that it was “deeply concerned” by the conduct of the Belgian authorities towards the two Israelis.

“These soldiers were carrying out their lawful duties in defense of their country, duties comparable to those of any soldier serving in a democratic nation,” the EJA said.

The Hind Rajab Foundation is chaired by Dyab Abou Jahjah, a controversial Belgian-Lebanese activist who has admitted joining Lebanese group Hezbollah when he was young. Hezbollah’s military wing is proscribed as a terrorist group in the EU.

This year’s Tomorrowland festival went ahead last week even though a fire destroyed the main stage 48 hours before the event was due to start.

Tens of thousands flocked to the festival in Boom, near Antwerp, to hear acts including David Guetta and Lost Frequencies.

Belgian police say they have questioned two Israelis after two pro-Palestinian groups alleged they had been waving flags from their army brigade at the Tomorrowland music festival.

The men were briefly detained and then released after they had been interviewed, prosecutors said.

The Hind Rajab Foundation and Global Legal Action Network said they had filed a complaint after a group of young Israelis was seen flying the purple-and-white flag of the Givati Brigade, alleging the pair had committed war crimes in Gaza.

The Givati flag was among several Israeli flags waved during a set by Israeli DJ duo Vini Vici at Tomorrowland last Friday.

Prosecutors said no further details would be released about the case at this stage. The Hind Rajab Foundation called the arrest of the Israelis a “significant step forward”.

They are not thought to have been prevented from leaving Belgium.

The BBC contacted the Israeli embassy in Brussels, which declined to comment other than to confirm that the two men had been released.

Before detaining the pair, prosecutors said they had decided they could investigate the allegations under Belgium’s universal jurisdiction law, which allows local courts to hear cases involving alleged crimes committed outside Belgium.

The law was updated last year to enable Belgian police to gather evidence of violations.

The European Jewish Association said in a statement that it was “deeply concerned” by the conduct of the Belgian authorities towards the two Israelis.

“These soldiers were carrying out their lawful duties in defense of their country, duties comparable to those of any soldier serving in a democratic nation,” the EJA said.

The Hind Rajab Foundation is chaired by Dyab Abou Jahjah, a controversial Belgian-Lebanese activist who has admitted joining Lebanese group Hezbollah when he was young. Hezbollah’s military wing is proscribed as a terrorist group in the EU.

This year’s Tomorrowland festival went ahead last week even though a fire destroyed the main stage 48 hours before the event was due to start.

Tens of thousands flocked to the festival in Boom, near Antwerp, to hear acts including David Guetta and Lost Frequencies.

Belgian police say they have questioned two Israelis after two pro-Palestinian groups alleged they had been waving flags from their army brigade at the Tomorrowland music festival.

The men were briefly detained and then released after they had been interviewed, prosecutors said.

The Hind Rajab Foundation and Global Legal Action Network said they had filed a complaint after a group of young Israelis was seen flying the purple-and-white flag of the Givati Brigade, alleging the pair had committed war crimes in Gaza.

The Givati flag was among several Israeli flags waved during a set by Israeli DJ duo Vini Vici at Tomorrowland last Friday.

Prosecutors said no further details would be released about the case at this stage. The Hind Rajab Foundation called the arrest of the Israelis a “significant step forward”.

They are not thought to have been prevented from leaving Belgium.

The BBC contacted the Israeli embassy in Brussels, which declined to comment other than to confirm that the two men had been released.

Before detaining the pair, prosecutors said they had decided they could investigate the allegations under Belgium’s universal jurisdiction law, which allows local courts to hear cases involving alleged crimes committed outside Belgium.

The law was updated last year to enable Belgian police to gather evidence of violations.

The European Jewish Association said in a statement that it was “deeply concerned” by the conduct of the Belgian authorities towards the two Israelis.

“These soldiers were carrying out their lawful duties in defense of their country, duties comparable to those of any soldier serving in a democratic nation,” the EJA said.

The Hind Rajab Foundation is chaired by Dyab Abou Jahjah, a controversial Belgian-Lebanese activist who has admitted joining Lebanese group Hezbollah when he was young. Hezbollah’s military wing is proscribed as a terrorist group in the EU.

This year’s Tomorrowland festival went ahead last week even though a fire destroyed the main stage 48 hours before the event was due to start.

Tens of thousands flocked to the festival in Boom, near Antwerp, to hear acts including David Guetta and Lost Frequencies.

Belgian police say they have questioned two Israelis after two pro-Palestinian groups alleged they had been waving flags from their army brigade at the Tomorrowland music festival.

The men were briefly detained and then released after they had been interviewed, prosecutors said.

The Hind Rajab Foundation and Global Legal Action Network said they had filed a complaint after a group of young Israelis was seen flying the purple-and-white flag of the Givati Brigade, alleging the pair had committed war crimes in Gaza.

The Givati flag was among several Israeli flags waved during a set by Israeli DJ duo Vini Vici at Tomorrowland last Friday.

Prosecutors said no further details would be released about the case at this stage. The Hind Rajab Foundation called the arrest of the Israelis a “significant step forward”.

They are not thought to have been prevented from leaving Belgium.

The BBC contacted the Israeli embassy in Brussels, which declined to comment other than to confirm that the two men had been released.

Before detaining the pair, prosecutors said they had decided they could investigate the allegations under Belgium’s universal jurisdiction law, which allows local courts to hear cases involving alleged crimes committed outside Belgium.

The law was updated last year to enable Belgian police to gather evidence of violations.

The European Jewish Association said in a statement that it was “deeply concerned” by the conduct of the Belgian authorities towards the two Israelis.

“These soldiers were carrying out their lawful duties in defense of their country, duties comparable to those of any soldier serving in a democratic nation,” the EJA said.

The Hind Rajab Foundation is chaired by Dyab Abou Jahjah, a controversial Belgian-Lebanese activist who has admitted joining Lebanese group Hezbollah when he was young. Hezbollah’s military wing is proscribed as a terrorist group in the EU.

This year’s Tomorrowland festival went ahead last week even though a fire destroyed the main stage 48 hours before the event was due to start.

Tens of thousands flocked to the festival in Boom, near Antwerp, to hear acts including David Guetta and Lost Frequencies.

Belgian police say they have questioned two Israelis after two pro-Palestinian groups alleged they had been waving flags from their army brigade at the Tomorrowland music festival.

The men were briefly detained and then released after they had been interviewed, prosecutors said.

The Hind Rajab Foundation and Global Legal Action Network said they had filed a complaint after a group of young Israelis was seen flying the purple-and-white flag of the Givati Brigade, alleging the pair had committed war crimes in Gaza.

The Givati flag was among several Israeli flags waved during a set by Israeli DJ duo Vini Vici at Tomorrowland last Friday.

Prosecutors said no further details would be released about the case at this stage. The Hind Rajab Foundation called the arrest of the Israelis a “significant step forward”.

They are not thought to have been prevented from leaving Belgium.

The BBC contacted the Israeli embassy in Brussels, which declined to comment other than to confirm that the two men had been released.

Before detaining the pair, prosecutors said they had decided they could investigate the allegations under Belgium’s universal jurisdiction law, which allows local courts to hear cases involving alleged crimes committed outside Belgium.

The law was updated last year to enable Belgian police to gather evidence of violations.

The European Jewish Association said in a statement that it was “deeply concerned” by the conduct of the Belgian authorities towards the two Israelis.

“These soldiers were carrying out their lawful duties in defense of their country, duties comparable to those of any soldier serving in a democratic nation,” the EJA said.

The Hind Rajab Foundation is chaired by Dyab Abou Jahjah, a controversial Belgian-Lebanese activist who has admitted joining Lebanese group Hezbollah when he was young. Hezbollah’s military wing is proscribed as a terrorist group in the EU.

This year’s Tomorrowland festival went ahead last week even though a fire destroyed the main stage 48 hours before the event was due to start.

Tens of thousands flocked to the festival in Boom, near Antwerp, to hear acts including David Guetta and Lost Frequencies.

Belgian police say they have questioned two Israelis after two pro-Palestinian groups alleged they had been waving flags from their army brigade at the Tomorrowland music festival.

The men were briefly detained and then released after they had been interviewed, prosecutors said.

The Hind Rajab Foundation and Global Legal Action Network said they had filed a complaint after a group of young Israelis was seen flying the purple-and-white flag of the Givati Brigade, alleging the pair had committed war crimes in Gaza.

The Givati flag was among several Israeli flags waved during a set by Israeli DJ duo Vini Vici at Tomorrowland last Friday.

Prosecutors said no further details would be released about the case at this stage. The Hind Rajab Foundation called the arrest of the Israelis a “significant step forward”.

They are not thought to have been prevented from leaving Belgium.

The BBC contacted the Israeli embassy in Brussels, which declined to comment other than to confirm that the two men had been released.

Before detaining the pair, prosecutors said they had decided they could investigate the allegations under Belgium’s universal jurisdiction law, which allows local courts to hear cases involving alleged crimes committed outside Belgium.

The law was updated last year to enable Belgian police to gather evidence of violations.

The European Jewish Association said in a statement that it was “deeply concerned” by the conduct of the Belgian authorities towards the two Israelis.

“These soldiers were carrying out their lawful duties in defense of their country, duties comparable to those of any soldier serving in a democratic nation,” the EJA said.

The Hind Rajab Foundation is chaired by Dyab Abou Jahjah, a controversial Belgian-Lebanese activist who has admitted joining Lebanese group Hezbollah when he was young. Hezbollah’s military wing is proscribed as a terrorist group in the EU.

This year’s Tomorrowland festival went ahead last week even though a fire destroyed the main stage 48 hours before the event was due to start.

Tens of thousands flocked to the festival in Boom, near Antwerp, to hear acts including David Guetta and Lost Frequencies.

Belgian police say they have questioned two Israelis after two pro-Palestinian groups alleged they had been waving flags from their army brigade at the Tomorrowland music festival.

The men were briefly detained and then released after they had been interviewed, prosecutors said.

The Hind Rajab Foundation and Global Legal Action Network said they had filed a complaint after a group of young Israelis was seen flying the purple-and-white flag of the Givati Brigade, alleging the pair had committed war crimes in Gaza.

The Givati flag was among several Israeli flags waved during a set by Israeli DJ duo Vini Vici at Tomorrowland last Friday.

Prosecutors said no further details would be released about the case at this stage. The Hind Rajab Foundation called the arrest of the Israelis a “significant step forward”.

They are not thought to have been prevented from leaving Belgium.

The BBC contacted the Israeli embassy in Brussels, which declined to comment other than to confirm that the two men had been released.

Before detaining the pair, prosecutors said they had decided they could investigate the allegations under Belgium’s universal jurisdiction law, which allows local courts to hear cases involving alleged crimes committed outside Belgium.

The law was updated last year to enable Belgian police to gather evidence of violations.

The European Jewish Association said in a statement that it was “deeply concerned” by the conduct of the Belgian authorities towards the two Israelis.

“These soldiers were carrying out their lawful duties in defense of their country, duties comparable to those of any soldier serving in a democratic nation,” the EJA said.

The Hind Rajab Foundation is chaired by Dyab Abou Jahjah, a controversial Belgian-Lebanese activist who has admitted joining Lebanese group Hezbollah when he was young. Hezbollah’s military wing is proscribed as a terrorist group in the EU.

This year’s Tomorrowland festival went ahead last week even though a fire destroyed the main stage 48 hours before the event was due to start.

Tens of thousands flocked to the festival in Boom, near Antwerp, to hear acts including David Guetta and Lost Frequencies.