Data compiled and published by Israel’s own government makes clear that it has been starving Gaza.

A report by The Guardian shows that the Israeli government, which controls the flow of food into Gaza, has calculated how many calories Palestinians need to stay alive and only allows a fraction of that amount into the besieged territory.

“The mathematics of famine are simple in Gaza. Palestinians cannot leave, war has ended farming and Israel has banned fishing, so practically every calorie its population eats must be brought in from outside,” the paper said.

“Israel knows how much food is needed. It has been calibrating hunger in Gaza for decades, initially calculating shipments to exert pressure while avoiding starvation.”

In 2006, an Israeli court ordered the release of documents from Cogat, the Israeli agency that controls aid shipments to Gaza that calculated that Palestinians needed an average minimum 2,279 calories per person per day, which could be provided through 1.836kg of food.

Between March and June this year, Israel allowed just 56,000 tonnes of food to enter the territory, Cogat records show, less than a quarter of Gaza’s minimum needs for that period.

The Famine Review Committee, an independent group of experts said food shipments “have been highly inadequate”.

“Our analysis of the food packages shows that [the Israeli] distribution plan would lead to mass starvation, even if it was able to function without the appalling levels of violence that have been reported,” the FRC said