The civil defense agency run by Hamas said six Palestinians were killed in the latest deadly incident near the aid distribution center in southern Gaza and several others were injured in Israeli gunfire.
A spokesman for the agency said people gathered to collect food supplies when the shooting began. The quote reports said witnesses said Israelis opened fire when people tried to go to the scene.
The Israeli military said it warned it to shooting in a threatening manner.
Dozens of Palestinians were killed and hundreds were injured, trying to reach the distribution center.
The U.S. and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is responsible for the center, which said it has suspended operations to deal with overcrowding and improve safety.
But people gather almost every day at the roundabouts on the edge of Israel’s military zone, and they have to pass to reach the aid site.
The IDF said in a statement that they had told the Gaza people that the area was an active combat zone at night.
GHF said it could not distribute food on Saturday due to the direct threat from Hamas – a point the organization denied.
In any case, the new incident almost certainly reinforces international criticism of the new distribution model.
The UN insists that this puts Palestinians at risk and does not provide enough food and medicine to deal with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud said at least 15 people were killed by Israeli air strikes in a residence in Gaza, and some casualties were still trapped in rubble.
The strike eliminated the head of a Palestinian militant group known as the Mujahideen Brigade, the Israeli army said.
Israelis accused the group of victims of being killed and kidnapped on October 7, including a Hamas-led attack, which included a Thai national named Natapen Pinta.
His body was found in the Rafa district in southern Gaza in a special operation on Friday.
After a three-month lockdown, Israel has recently begun allowing limited aid to enter Gaza, prioritizing distribution through GHF.
But the foundation is already in controversy.
Medical staff and local health authorities reported that more than 60 Palestinians were killed by gunfire shortly after they began operations.
Several witnesses accused Israeli soldiers of murder.
The Israeli military said it fired a warning gun in the first two days and fired a gun near Palestinian suspects, heading towards their position for the third time, adding that the incident was being investigated.
The distribution centers are four of GHF's operations in Gaza.
It is part of a new aid system – widely condemned by humanitarian groups – aimed at circumventing the United Nations, which Israel has failed to stop Hamas from transferring supplies to its fighters.
The United Nations denied the allegations and pointed out that it could explain all the aid it has done, and that the GHF's system is unfeasible and immoral.
Since Israel responded to a cross-border attack led by Hamas, Israel has launched a military campaign in Gaza, with about 1,200 people killed and another 251 people taken hostage from Gaza.
The region's health ministry said at least 54,677 people were killed in Gaza during the war.
