Members of the UN Security Council, except for the United States, have expressed alarm and distress over famine in the Gaza Strip, and urged Israel to take action.



The United Nations declared last Friday that people in Gaza are trapped in famine. But Israel has said it will expand its military operation in the enclave.



On Wednesday, 14 members of the Security Council issued a joint statement describing the situation in Gaza as a "man-made crisis."



They said, "The use of starvation as a weapon of war is clearly prohibited under international humanitarian law."



The members called for an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional lifting of all Israeli restrictions on aid deliveries, and for Israel to reverse its decision to further expand its military operation aimed at taking over Gaza City.



The acting US representative to the United Nations, Dorothy Shea, defended Israel at a council meeting prior to the release of the joint statement.



She said, "Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, Israel has enabled an unprecedented amount of more than 2 million tons of aid to flow into the Gaza Strip."
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Quiz 1:
The United Nations declared last Friday that people in which enclave are trapped in famine?
A. Syria
B. Palestine (Gaza Strip)
C. Iran
D. Libya

Quiz 2:
On Wednesday, how many members of the Security Council issued a joint statement describing the situation in Gaza?
A. 10
B. 7
C. 14
D. 5

Quiz 3:
The acting US representative to the United Nations, Dorothy Shea, defended Israel at a council meeting prior to the release of the joint statement by saying that, since the beginning of the war in Gaza, how much more than 2 million tons of aid have flowed into the Gaza Strip?
A. Less than a million tons
B. More than 500 thousand tons
C. Over 1 million tons
D. Only a few hundred tons