Tehran: United Nations relief chief Tom Fletcher has criticized an aid alternative proposed by Israel and backed by the United States, describing it as a 'cynical sideshow' intended to use starvation in the Gaza Strip as a bargaining chip.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Tom Fletcher, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, stated that the proposed aid alternative serves as a 'fig leaf for further violence and displacement.' Speaking at a U.N. Security Council meeting, Fletcher highlighted the dire situation in Gaza, where no food, medicine, water, or tents have entered over the past 10 weeks. He noted that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been forcibly displaced, with 70 percent of the region under occupation or displacement orders.

Fletcher addressed the severe humanitarian crisis, indicating that 2.1 million residents of Gaza are facing famine, with one in five struggling with severe starvation. The blockade has led to widespread shortages, with essential services and supplies depleted.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the United Nations secretary-general, emphasized the catastrophic consequences of the Israeli-imposed blockade. Dujarric stated, "Over 70 days into the blanket ban imposed by Israeli authorities on the entry of any supplies into Gaza, stocks have run out, bakeries have shut down, community kitchens are closing daily, and people are starving. This is not a natural disaster, but a human-made catastrophe that the world should not allow."

Riyad Mansour, Palestine's U.N. envoy, criticized Israel's plan for monitoring humanitarian aid distribution, calling it 'a continuation of the weaponization of aid.' Mansour accused Israel of openly blocking humanitarian aid for over two months, describing the situation as engineered starvation.

On Tuesday, the majority of U.N. Security Council member states and U.N. aid teams rejected the Israeli-U.S. plan for aid delivery control through third-party contractors. Countries including China, Russia, Britain, France, Denmark, and Slovenia urged the Israeli regime to permit aid delivery into Gaza.