Israel faced mounting international pressure to ease the total closure of the Gaza Strip yesterday, amid warnings that the 1.5m Palestinians living in the territory faced a humanitarian crisis as a result of its sanctions.

Living conditions in the crowded coastal strip have taken a dramatic turn for the worse since Friday, when Israel closed the crossings into Gaza even to imports of basic humanitarian goods. As fuel supplies ran low, the Gaza authorities were forced to shut down the territory's power plant on Sunday, sparking prolonged blackouts.