Dozens of Palestinians been killed while trying to access aid in Gaza, hospital officials say.
Two hospitals said 25 people were killed overnight, near a convoy transporting flour and a food distribution site run by the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the area of the Netzarim corridor, an Israeli military zone in central Gaza.
The Hamas-run Civil Defence agency said Israeli forces opened fire, and there are also reports of people being crushed by lorries and being shot by Palestinians. The Israeli military said troops fired warning shots at suspects who approached them.
Another six people were killed by Israeli gunfire near a GHF site in Rafah, in the south, Nasser hospital in Khan Younis said.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports from Rafah.
The GHF said more than 43,000 food parcels were handed out at its three distribution centres in Rafah and central Gaza “without incident” on Wednesday.
However, there have been deadly incidents near the GHF’s sites almost every day since its new aid system began operating on 26 May.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says a total of 223 people have been killed and 1,858 others injured while trying to reach areas designated for aid distribution over the past two weeks.
The GHF, which uses US private security contractors, aims to bypass the UN as the main supplier of aid to Gaza’s 2.1 million population.
The UN and other aid groups are refusing to co-operate with the new system, saying it contravenes the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence.
They also warn that Gaza’s populace faces catastrophic levels of hunger after an almost three-month total Israeli blockade that was partially eased three weeks ago.
The US and Israel say the GHF’s system will prevent aid being stolen by Hamas. The UN says this is not a widespread issue, while Hamas denies doing it.
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
At least 55,104 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s health ministry.
