The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has urged Arab and Muslim leaders to take urgent action to end the ongoing famine in Gaza, warning that the humanitarian crisis has reached “unprecedented and dangerous levels”.

In a statement on Tuesday, the group said nearly 100 civilians, including 80 children, have died from hunger and malnutrition since Israel imposed a total blockade nearly five months ago.

About 1,000 others were reportedly shot dead by Israeli forces at so-called aid points since May.

Hamas called for an immediate end to the deadly Israeli siege and the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid, accusing Israel of enforcing “a systematic policy of starvation and humiliation”.

It also criticised the inaction following the November 2023 Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh, and urged Arab and Muslim countries to sever ties with Israel, expel its ambassadors, and shut down embassies as “initial steps towards isolating the occupying regime”.

The group decried what it described as “official Arab and Islamic silence”, saying such inaction has “shattered the hopes of our oppressed people”.

The Arab League also accused Israel of turning Gaza into “a zone of famine” and using starvation as “a weapon of war”.

In a statement after an emergency meeting in Cairo, the pan-Arab body called for the immediate entry of Arab, Islamic, and international aid convoys, and urged protection for humanitarian workers and full support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

It also urged the international community — especially the US — to pressure Israel to open all crossings and allow the flow of aid “without delay”, describing Israel’s actions as “a form of genocide”.

Israel has killed more than 59,100 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The ongoing onslaught has devastated the enclave, collapsed the health system, and led to severe food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.