RAFAH (GAZA STRIP): At least 31 people were killed and over 150 were wounded on Sunday while on their way to receive food in the Gaza Strip, according to health officials and multiple witnesses. The witnesses said Israeli forces fired on crowds around a kilometre from an aid site run by an Israeli-backed foundation.The army said it was “currently unaware of injuries caused by (Israeli military) fire within the humanitarian aid distribution site.” The foundation, promoted by Israel and the US, said it delivered aid “without incident” early Sunday. It has denied previous accounts of chaos and gunfire around its sites, which are in Israeli military zones where independent access is limited.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s aid distribution has been marred by chaos in its first week of operations, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near delivery sites. Before Sunday, at least six people had been killed and more than 50 wounded, according to local officials. Thousands of people headed toward the distribution site in southern Gaza hours before dawn on Sunday. As they approached, Israeli forces ordered them to disperse and come back later, witnesses said. When the crowd reached the Flag Roundabout, around 1 km away, around 3 am, Israeli forces opened fire, the witnesses said. “There was fire from all directions, from naval warships, from tanks and drones,” said Amr Abu Teiba, who was in the crowd.Israel and the US say the new system 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. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles.