Trucks with humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip enter from Egypt in Rafah on Oct 21, 2023. (PHOTO/AP)

CAIRO/AMMAN - Impeding relief supplies to Gaza's population may constitute a crime under the International Criminal Court's (ICC) jurisdiction, the court's top prosecutor told a news conference in Egypt on Sunday.

Karim Khan also said Israel must make "discernable efforts, without further delay to make sure civilians receive basic foods, medicine".

Aid supplies to Gaza have been minimal since Israel began bombarding the densely populated Palestinian enclave in response to a deadly attack by its ruling militant group Hamas on Oct 7.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency has said its ability to help people in Gaza has been completely stretched by air strikes that have killed dozens of its staff and restricted the movement of supplies

Israeli officials have said that food, water and medicines have been coming in through the Egyptian border and that it expected the quantities to rise.

United Nations officials have said the aid supplies are limited and do not correspond to the huge need on the ground.

In an unannounced visit, the ICC prosecutor went to the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza earlier in the day and posted a video statement from his location on X social media.

Khan said he was not able to get into Gaza but hopes to visit the Gaza strip and Israel while he is in the region.

The court has been investigating in the occupied Palestinian territories since 2021, looking into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity there from 2014 onwards. 

Israel, which is not a member of the ICC, has previously rejected the court's jurisdiction and does not formally engage with its investigations.

Khan has previously said that the ICC has jurisdiction over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during both the Oct 7 Hamas attack in Israel and in the territory of Gaza.

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United Nations and Red Crescent workers prepare the aid for distribution to Palestinians at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's warehouse in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Oct 23, 2023. (PHOTO/AP)

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Sunday called on the international community to work together immediately to deliver urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza

Also on Sunday, thousands of Gaza residents broke into UN warehouses, grabbing flour and other essential items in a sign they had reached "breaking point", the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East said.

One of the warehouses, located in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, is where UNRWA stores supplies delivered by humanitarian convoys crossing into Gaza from Egypt.

Footage from Khan Younis in southern Gaza showed men frantically carrying boxes and large bags out of a warehouse, hoisting them onto their shoulders or loading them onto their bicycles.

UNRWA's director of communications Juliette Touma said the organization had been forced to reduce the scale of its humanitarian operation in the densely populated enclave because it could not distribute fuel to some medical facilities. She said UNRWA had not received any additional supplies on Sunday.

"We are asking for a standard and regular flow of humanitarian supplies, including fuel, and an increase in the number of trucks on these convoys," said Touma.

UNRWA has said its ability to help people in Gaza has been completely stretched by air strikes that have killed dozens of its staff and restricted the movement of supplies.

"Fifty-nine colleagues at UNRWA were killed during the war," Touma said.

US President Joe Biden (right) speaks during a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi at the COP27 UN Climate Summit, Nov 11, 2022, at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. (PHOTO/AP)

Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and US President Joe Biden on Sunday agreed on the need to increase aid sustainably to Gaza.

During a phone conversation, the two presidents agreed that the aid should enter Gaza in a tangible, effective, and sustainable manner and in quantities that meet the humanitarian needs of the Gazan people, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.

Al-Sisi stressed Egypt's firm position of rejecting the policies of collective punishment and forced displacement, reiterating that Egypt will never allow the displacement of the Palestinians from Gaza to Egyptian territories.

For his part, Biden confirmed that the US rejects the displacement of the Palestinians outside their lands, expressing appreciation for the positive role Egypt has played in addressing this crisis.

They also touched on prospects for joint cooperation to mobilize international efforts toward reviving the peace process, with the aim of implementing the two-state solution and establishing a Palestinian state.

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Additionally, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Sunday called on the international community to work together immediately to deliver urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Safadi made the remarks in the capital Amman during separate meetings with his visiting Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos and Belgian counterpart Hadja Lahbib, where they discussed efforts to halt the escalation in Gaza, according to a statement from his ministry.

During the meetings, the Jordanian minister warned against the spillover of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, condemning Israel's attacks as a clear violation of international law.

He stressed the importance of building upon a recent resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, calling for the cessation of hostilities and protection of civilians while upholding legal and humanitarian obligations.

Safadi reiterated that only a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution would ensure security and peace for both the Palestinians and Israelis.

He denounced the killing of civilians on both sides, stressing upholding universal humanitarian values and respecting the lives of civilians.