Humanitarians on Friday described horrific scenes of starving, bloodied children and fights over water in Gaza, two months into Israel's full blockade on aid, with dire warnings that aid operations are on the brink of total collapse.

The Norwegian Refugee Council's humanitarian access manager in Gaza, Gavin Kelleher, said "thousands of people will die" if nothing is done, as other aid agencies called for urgent international action.

"The humanitarian response in Gaza is on the verge of total collapse," the International Committee of the Red Cross warned.

"Without immediate action, Gaza will descend further into chaos that humanitarian efforts will not be able to mitigate."

Israel strictly controls all inflows of international aid vital for the 2.4 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

It halted aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2, days before the collapse of a ceasefire that had significantly reduced hostilities after 15 months of war.

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