Palestinians line up for free food in Rafah, Gaza Strip, on Feb 23, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

GAZA/JERUSALEM – The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees on Friday urged Israel to allow the organization's food and nutrition convoys reach northern Gaza and to open additional land crossings to facilitate the delivery of aid amid international warnings of famine in the coastal enclave.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini made the remarks in a post on social media platform X, a day after the International Court of Justice in The Hague ordered Israel take all necessary measures to ensure basic aid reaches the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip.

He called on countries to increase pressure for the implementation of the court's order and to reconsider their decisions regarding funding the agency, emphasizing the urgency of bold actions to prevent famine in Gaza.

The UNRWA chief's call came as the Hamas-run Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 32,623

He warned that the living conditions of over two million people in Gaza were deteriorating, and Gaza was becoming an impossible place for dignified living.

The ruling issued on Thursday by the ICJ follows a previous one on January 26, in which the ICJ ordered Israel to take all possible measures to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The previous ruling was given after South Africa filed a case at the ICJ against Israel on Dec. 29, 2023 for its alleged violations of obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention regarding Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas and imposed a siege on the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage.

A number of donor countries suspended funding to UNRWA after Israel accused the agency's employees in Gaza of taking part in the Hamas attack on Israel.

While some countries have reinstated UNRWA funding due to unverified claims by Israel, the agency has lost the bulk of its financial support. 

Palestinian death toll hits 32,623

The Hamas-run Health Ministry said in a statement on Friday that the Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 32,623.

The Israeli army killed 71 Palestinians and wounded 112 others during the past 24 hours, it added. This brings the total death toll to 32,623 and injuries to 75,092 since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out, according to the ministry.

At least 20 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed Friday as Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes in Gaza City, the official news agency WAFA reported.

Destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip are seen through the window of a US C-17 Air Force plane, on March 29, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

Israel to send team for ceasefire talks

Israel is ready to send delegations to Qatar and Egypt for negotiations on a Gaza ceasefire deal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday.

After speaking with David Barnea, head of the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency, and Ronen Bar, chief of the internal security agency Shin Bet, the PM approved the next round of talks "with guidelines for moving forward in the negotiations," according to the statement.

The new round of talks will be held in Doha and Cairo in the coming days, it added.

Israel withdrew most of its negotiating team from Doha on Tuesday after Hamas rejected the latest offer, while a small, mid-ranking Mossad team remained in Qatar for negotiations, Israeli media reported.