34 Palestinians killed in new shootings near food distribution centres: medics

Deir al-Balah (Gaza Strip): At least 34 Palestinians were killed on Monday in new shootings in areas of Israeli-and US-supported food distribution centres in the south of the Gaza Strip, the local Health Ministry said.

The toll was the deadliest yet in the near-daily shootings that have taken place as thousands of Palestinians move through Israeli military-controlled areas to reach the food centres run by the private contractor Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

Two witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire early Monday in an attempt to control the crowds.

There was no immediate comment by the Israeli military. It has said in previous instances that troops fired warning shots at what it calls suspects approaching their positions.

Gaza's Health Ministry said 33 Palestinians were killed trying to reach the GHF centre near the southern city of Rafah and another on route to a GHF hub in central Gaza. It said four other people were killed elsewhere.

Two Palestinians trying to get food at the Rafah site, Heba Jouda and Mohammed Abed, told The Associated Press that Israeli forces fired on the crowds at around 4 a.m. at the Flag Roundabout. The traffic circle, hundreds of metres from the GHF centre, has repeatedly been the scene of shootings.

The military has designated specific routes to access the food centres, and GHF has warned aid-seekers that leaving the roads is dangerous, but many do in an attempt to get to the food first.

Israel and the United States say the new GHF system is needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid. GHF says there has been no violence in or around the sites themselves.

UN agencies and major aid groups, which have delivered humanitarian aid across Gaza since the start of the 20-month Israel-Hamas war, have rejected the new system, saying it can't meet the territory's needs and allows Israel to use aid as a weapon. They deny there is widespread theft of aid by Hamas.

Palestinian health officials say scores of people have been killed and hundreds wounded since the sites opened last month. Experts have warned that Israel's ongoing military campaign and restrictions on the entry of aid have put Gaza, which is home to some 2 million Palestinians, at risk of famine.