Britain, Canada, Japan warn of severe Gaza humanitarian crisis

Countries including Britain, Canada, Japan and several European nations on Wednesday issued a joint statement saying that civilians in Gaza are facing appalling conditions and called on Israel to let international NGOs function in the region.

The statement said that more than 1.3 million people in Gaza urgently need shelter, where "the complete collapse of the sewage infrastructure has left 740,000 people at risk of toxic flooding".

"We express our deep concern about the renewed deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which remains catastrophic," the statement said. 

"We call on the Government of Israel to ensure that international NGOs are able to operate in Gaza in a sustainable manner," it added.