At the Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip, hundreds of aid trucks sat unmoving in the Egyptian desert, stuck for days with only a handful allowed through by Israel to relieve the humanitarian disaster across the border.

After nearly two years of war, UN-backed experts have said famine is unfolding in the Palestinian territory, while there are also dire shortages of clean water and medicines.

Yet aid groups say the flow of essential supplies remains painfully slow, despite the growing crisis.

Israel continues to deny entry for life-saving medical equipment, shelters and parts for water infrastructure, four UN officials, several truck drivers and an Egyptian Red Crescent volunteer told AFP.

They said the supplies were often rejected for being "dual-use", meaning they could be put to military use, or for minor packaging flaws.

Some materials "just because they are metallic are not allowed to enter," said Amande Bazerolle, head of emergency response in Gaza at French medical charity MSF.

Sitting on the Egyptian side was a truckload of intensive care gurneys baking in the sun, held back by the Israelis despite the UN........

© Al Monitor