Israel said on Tuesday there were 950 trucks' worth of aid waiting in Gaza - but the agencies accuse Israel of blocking access to it.

The ship is operated by an Israeli company, Mano Cruise, which said about 1,700 passengers were on board and it is sailing to Cyprus.

The joint statement comes as Palestinians face worsening starvation, daily massacres at "aid sites" and the ongoing blockade of humanitarian assistance.

The Middle East has been transformed since 7 October, and almost two years on, the conflict in Gaza is at another inflection point.

Britain threatened Tuesday to take further action against Israel if it does not agree to end the war in Gaza, a day after two dozen mostly European countries condemned Israel’s restrictions on aid shipments into the territory and the killings of hundreds of Palestinians trying to reach food.

The foreign ministers of 25 Western nations have slammed Israel for “drip feeding” aid into the Gaza Strip, as the health ministry in the territory said that more than 1,000 people have been killed seeking humanitarian relief there since late May.

Investigation by BBC Verify using satellite images and verified footage to show the extent of destruction in Gaza, where the Israeli military have carried out demolitions to raze entire towns and subu

A UK-based Gaza analyst said Tuesday that EU countries' latest condemnation of Israel's action in Gaza is "long overdue" but a "good step in the right direction."