By Sarah Marsh

BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany will immediately launch an airlift to deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza as it considers stepping up pressure on Israel over the "catastrophic" situation in the enclave, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday.

As the death toll from almost two years of war in Gaza nears 60,000, a growing number of people are dying from starvation and malnutrition, Gaza health authorities say, with images of starving children shocking the world and fuelling international criticism of Israel over sharply worsening conditions.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday said that Israel's creeping annexation of the West Bank is illegal and the wholesale destruction of the Gaza Strip is intolerable and both must stop.

"Let's be clear: The creeping annexation of the occupied West Bank is illegal. It must stop. The wholesale destruction of Gaza is intolerable. It must stop," he told a conference at the U.N. on a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) -The number of hungry people around the world fell for a third straight year in 2024, retreating from a COVID-era spike, even as conflict and climate shocks deepened malnutrition across much of Africa and western Asia, a U.N. report said on Monday.

Around 673 million people, or 8.2% of the world's population, experienced hunger in 2024, down from 8.5% in 2023, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, jointly prepared by five U.N. agencies.

There is no alternative to a two-state solution between Israelis and the Palestinians, France told a UN conference co-chaired with Saudi Arabia Monday that was boycotted by Israel and branded a stunt by Washington.

"Only a political, two-state solution will help respond to the legitimate aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security. There is no alternative," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said at the start of the three-day meeting.

TURNBERRY, Scotland (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed on the need for a ceasefire in Gaza when they met in Scotland on Monday, and they discussed a plan for what happens after aid is delivered.

(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti, writing by Sarah YoungEditing by William Schomberg)

TURNBERRY, Scotland (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said the Hamas militant group had become difficult to deal with in recent days, but he was talking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about "various plans" to free hostages still held in the enclave.

Trump also said the U.S. would work with other countries to provide more humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza, including food and sanitation.

By Andrew MacAskill and Andrea Shalal

TURNBERRY, Scotland (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday the number one priority in Gaza was getting people fed, because "you have a lot of starving people", adding that he was not going to take a position on Palestinian statehood at the moment.

Trump, speaking alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his golf resort in Turnberry, Scotland, said the United States had provided $60 million for humanitarian aid, and other nations would have to step up.

UN chief Antonio Guterres on Monday said food must not be used as a weapon of war as world leaders gathered for a food summit in Africa, where 280 million people face chronic hunger.

The African Union urged donors to provide greater support for the world's poorest continent, which is struggling with poverty, unrest and the effects of climate change.

A new report co-authored by several United Nations agencies found global hunger fell slightly in 2024 thanks to progress in Asia and South America.

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Olivia Le Poidevin

CAIRO/GENEVA (Reuters) -A long-term steady supply of aid is needed to counter the worsening hunger crisis in Gaza, U.N. agencies said on Monday after mounting pressure prompted Israel to ease restrictions in the Palestinian enclave.

Israel carried out an air drop and announced a series of measures over the weekend, including daily humanitarian pauses in three areas of Gaza and new safe corridors for aid convoys, after images of starving children alarmed the world.

Rights groups B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel said on Monday that they had concluded the war in Gaza amounts to a "genocide" against Palestinians, a first for Israeli NGOs.

Both organisations are frequent critics of Israeli government policies, but the language in their reports issued on Monday was their most stark yet.

"Nothing prepares you for the realisation that you are part of a society committing genocide. This is a deeply painful moment for us," B'Tselem executive director Yuli Novak told a news conference unveiling the two reports.