Photos: Gazans end fast without 'joy of Ramadan'

The Palestinian Al-Naji family prepare to break their fast during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, sitting amidst the ruins of their family house in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza Strip. The first day of Ramadan came and went in Gaza, with residents marking a joyless iftar against a backdrop of famine, disease and displacement as the war in the besieged territory ground on more than five months after it began.

As the Muslim world welcomed the start of the holy month on Monday, Gazans faced continued Israeli bombardments and a spiralling humanitarian crisis.

Displaced Palestinians collect food donated by a charity before an iftar meal, the breaking of fast, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. With the flow of food and other assistance slowed to a trickle, a UN report citing the territory's Hamas-run health ministry said 25 people have now died from malnutrition and dehydration, most of them children.

In Gaza's southern border city of Rafah, where 1.5 million people have sought refuge, the usual generous iftar meal marking the end of the day's fast was replaced by "canned food and beans", said displaced Khan Yunis resident Mohammad al-Masry.

Om Muhammad Abu Matar, also displaced from Khan Yunis, told AFP that this year, Ramadan had "the taste of blood and misery, separation and oppression". Aid groups have warned of the risk of famine in Gaza for weeks, and the United Nations has reported difficulty accessing the territory's north for food and other aid deliveries.

Palestinians share an iftar meal, at a camp for displaced people in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

A Palestinian girl holds a bowl of beans before an iftar meal at a camp for displaced people in Rafah.

"We are running out of time," Cindy McCain, head of the World Food Programme (WFP), said Monday. "If we do not exponentially increase the size of aid going into the northern areas" of Gaza, she said, "famine is imminent". This aid includes basic food supplies, clean water, and medical assistance.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Monday for "silencing the guns" during the Muslim holy month and said he was "appalled and outraged that conflict is continuing".

Randa Baker, Right, who was displaced by the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, prepares the Iftar meal with her mother at a makeshift tent camp in the Muwasi area, southern Gaza.