Building a port off Gaza is a signal to the Israelis they must permit greater access to the enclave, a former head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has said.

Sir Mark Lowcock told Sky News that without far more aid, there will be an “explosion” in the number of people dying.

After small children begin to die, as they already have, it will build “into an avalanche of death – and once it starts it is very difficult to stop”, he said.

“The death toll from starvation and related diseases is going to be larger than the 30,000 people who are estimated to have been killed already by the bombs and the bullets.”

He continued: “The biggest problem is access and access is controlled by the Israeli authorities. They haven’t facilitated corridors or opening the crossings.”

The only way to overcome the “chaos and desperation” when food trucks arrive is to flood the area with aid, which “is a decision for the Israeli authorities”.

Gaza aid port will be ‘coordinated with Israel’

US plans to build a port on Gaza’s coast will be carried out in coordination with Israel, an Israeli official has said.

They said Israel welcomes and fully supports the proposal.

Meanwhile, a UN spokesperson said any additional aid was “obviously good”, but land transport was more effective and more entry points need to be opened.