Erin Gore, the WCK chief executive, said: “This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organisations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable.”

The charity will pause its operations in the region and says it will make a decision about the future of its work, raising fears that a nascent maritime corridor from Cyprus to deliver desperately needed aid to Gaza in the face of repeated Israeli obstructions may collapse.