Six Palestinians have been killed and several others wounded by Israeli gunfire in the latest deadly incident close to an aid distribution centre in southern Gaza, the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency says.
The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at suspects who approached them in a threatening manner.
Dozens of Palestinians have been killed and hundreds injured trying to get to the distribution centre this week.
But people have gathered nearly every day at a roundabout on the edge of an Israeli military zone, through which they have to pass to reach the aid site.
At least 54,677 people have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to the territory’s health ministry.
In the most recent deadly incident near an aid distribution center in southern Gaza, Israeli gunfire has killed six Palestinians and injured several more, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defense agency.
When the shooting began on Saturday morning, people had gathered to pick up food supplies, according to an agency spokesman. According to reports that cited an eyewitness, when individuals attempted to approach the location, the Israelis opened fire.
The Israeli military claimed to have fired warning shots at threatening suspects.
This week, hundreds of Palestinians were hurt and dozens of people were killed while attempting to reach the distribution center.
The center’s operator, the US-Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), says it has halted operations to address crowding and enhance security.
However, people have been congregating almost daily at a roundabout on the outskirts of an Israeli military zone, which they must cross in order to get to the aid location.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that they had informed Gazans that the region was a combat zone that was active at night.
GHF claimed that direct threats from Hamas prevented it from distributing food on Saturday; however, the organization has refuted this.
In any event, the new incident is likely to bolster global criticism of the new distribution model.
The UN maintains that it fails to provide enough food and medicine to address Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and endangers Palestinians.
According to Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal, Israeli airstrikes on a residential house in Gaza City have also killed at least 15 people, with some of the victims reportedly still trapped in the debris.
The leader of the Mujahideen Brigades, a Palestinian militant organization, was killed by the strikes, according to the Israeli army.
A Thai national named Nattapong Pinta was among the victims of the Hamas-led attacks on October 7 that the Israelis claim the group killed and abducted.
In a special operation on Friday, his body was found in the southern Gazan region of Rafah.
After a three-month blockade, Israel recently started to permit limited aid into Gaza, giving the GHF priority for distribution.
However, the foundation has been embroiled in a dispute.
Shortly after it opened, local health officials and medical professionals reported that over 60 Palestinians had been shot dead over the course of three days.
Numerous witnesses accused Israeli soldiers of carrying out the murders.
The Israeli military said it is looking into the incidents and said it fired warning shots on the first two days and shot close to Palestinian suspects moving toward their positions on the third.
The GHF runs four distribution centers in Gaza, including this one.
It is a part of a new aid system that has been widely denounced by humanitarian organizations. Israel has accused the UN of failing to stop Hamas from directing supplies to its fighters.
These accusations have been refuted by the UN, which claims that it can account for all aid it distributes and that the GHF’s system is immoral and unworkable.
Nearly 20 months have passed since Israel began a military campaign in Gaza in retaliation for the cross-border attack led by Hamas, which resulted in an estimated 1,200 fatalities and 251 hostage-takings.
According to the territory’s health ministry, the war has killed at least 54,677 people in Gaza.
