At least 30 people have been killed in an Israeli attack near an aid distribution point run by a US-backed organisation, according to a Palestinian news agency and Hamas-linked media.
Israel has offered no immediate comment of the reported attack, which the Palestinian news agency WAFA says left more than 115 people injured.
The reports emerged as a hospital run by the Red Cross said at least 21 people have been killed and another 175 have been wounded as they went to receive aid from the same foundation – which is backed by both Israel and the US.
Eyewitnesses said the deaths came after Israel forces opened fire out a roundabout near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation hub,
However, Hamas-linked media has attributed the deaths it has reported on to an Israeli airstrike.
It is not yet clear if eyewitnesses and Hamas-affiliated media are giving different accounts of the same incident.
The area where the reported shooting took place is controlled by Israeli forces.
Ibrahim Abu Saoud, an eyewitness, said Israeli forces opened fire at people moving toward the aid distribution centre.
“There were many martyrs, including women,” the 40-year-old man said. “We were about 300 meters (yards) away from the military.”
Abu Saoud said he saw many people with gunshot wounds, including a young man who he said had died at the scene. “We weren’t able to help him,” he said.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation operates as part of a controversial aid system which Israel and the US claims is aimed at preventing Hamas from siphoning off assistance.
Israel has not provided any evidence of systematic diversion, and the UN denies it has occurred.
The foundation’s distribution of aid has been marred by chaos, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the delivery sites.
UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles because it allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites, risking yet more mass displacement in the territory.
Before Sunday, at least six people had been killed and more than 50 wounded, according to local health officials.
The foundation says the private security contractors guarding its sites did not fire on the crowds, while the Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots.
The foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment following the hospital’s claims.
In an earlier statement, it said it distributed 16 truckloads of aid early on Sunday “without incident”. It dismissed what it referred to as “false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos”.
