The United Nations said the blockade brought the Palestinian enclave to the brink of famine and that food supplies remain critically low
At least 41 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza on Wednesday due to Israeli gunfire and airstrikes, according to local health officials. The majority of these casualties occurred at an aid site operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in the centre of the coastal territory.
Medical officials at Shifa and Al-Quds Hospitals reported that Israeli gunfire killed at least 25 people as they approached the aid site near the former settlement of Netzarim, with dozens more wounded.
The Israeli military stated that its forces fired warning shots overnight at suspects who posed a threat to troops in the area of the Netzarim Corridor.
"This is despite warnings that the area is an active combat zone. The IDF is aware of reports regarding individuals injured; the details are under review," the military added.
Later on Wednesday, health officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, located in the southern Gaza Strip, reported that Israeli gunfire killed at least six people as they approached another GHF site in Rafah. This brought Wednesday's death toll to at least 41.
According to Gaza's health ministry, a total of 163 people have been killed and over 1,000 wounded while trying to reach the few aid sites operated by the foundation. The GHF began its work two weeks ago, following a three-month blockade.
The United Nations has condemned the killings. It said the blockade brought the Palestinian enclave to the brink of famine and that food supplies remain critically low.
The foundation said earlier it was unaware of Wednesday's incident but that it is working closely with Israeli authorities to ensure safe passage routes are maintained, and that it is essential for Palestinians to closely follow instructions.
"Ultimately, the solution is more aid, which will create more certainty and less urgency among the population," it said by email in response to Reuters questions.
"There is not yet enough food to feed everyone in need in Gaza. Our current focus is to feed as many people as is safely possible within the constraints of a highly volatile environment."
The UN and other aid groups have refused to supply aid via the foundation, which uses private contractors with Israeli military backup in what they say is a breach of humanitarian standards.
Gaza health officials said 10 other people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in the south of the enclave.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the reports.
On Tuesday, when Gaza health officials said 17 people were killed near another GHF aid site in Rafah in southern Gaza, the army said it fired warning shots to distance "suspects" who were approaching the troops and posed a threat.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday there had been "significant progress" in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was "too soon" to raise hopes that a deal would be reached.
Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal.
Two Hamas sources told Reuters they did not know about any new ceasefire offers.
The war erupted after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in an 7 October 2023, attack, Israel's single deadliest day.
Israel's military campaign has since killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is home to more than two million people.
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