Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure the full and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, amid what she described as an “unbearable and unjustifiable” humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave.

The appeal came during a phone conversation between the two leaders on July 30, according to an official statement released by the Italian government, Italian newspaper Corriere reported along with foreign agencies.

Meloni stressed the urgent need for an immediate cessation of hostilities, citing the worsening conditions in Gaza as intolerable. “The Prime Minister reiterated the necessity of guaranteeing full and unrestricted humanitarian access to civilian populations,” the statement read.

The Italian government also announced that, as part of its humanitarian commitment, it will receive an additional 50 Palestinian civilians for medical treatment and provide further assistance to the population in Gaza.

This move follows previous efforts by Rome to deliver emergency aid, including food, medicine, and medical equipment, to the war-torn enclave.

Last week, Meloni publicly condemned the deteriorating situation in Gaza, describing it as “unacceptable” and asserting that “no military action can justify such a humanitarian catastrophe.”

The call comes amid growing international pressure on Israel to ease restrictions on aid deliveries, as humanitarian agencies report worsening conditions.

On the same day, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that current aid efforts are far from sufficient, stating that the conditions for delivering aid are “inadequate to meet the overwhelming needs of desperate and starving civilians in Gaza.”

The conflict, which has raged for months, has displaced more than 1mn Palestinians, destroyed critical infrastructure, and crippled Gaza’s already strained health and sanitation systems.

Italy joins a growing chorus of Western governments, including Britain, France and Canada, calling for urgent action to alleviate the crisis and prevent further loss of civilian life.

UN-backed experts warned, as the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said the death toll in the nearly 22-month war had surpassed 60,000 following more than two years of war with Israel.