31 Palestinians are killed heading to a Gaza aid site, witnesses say. Israel denies responsibility

RAFAH Gaza Strip AP At least people were killed and over were wounded Sunday as large crowds were on their way to receive food in the Gaza Strip fitness representatives and eyewitnesses noted Observers announced Israeli forces fired toward the crowds just before dawn around a kilometer about yards from an aid site run by an Israeli-backed foundation Israel s military denied its forces fired at civilians near or within the site in the southern city of Rafah An Israeli military official speaking on condition of anonymity in line with procedure announced troops fired warning shots at several individuals advancing toward them overnight The military also distributed drone footage it declared was shot Sunday apparently in daylight in the southern city of Khan Younis showing what it announced were armed masked men firing at civilians trying to collect aid The Associated Press could not independently verify the video and it was not clear who was being targeted Hamas is doing everything in its power to prevent the profitable distribution of food in Gaza the message revealed The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation promoted by Israel and the United States commented in a report it delivered aid without development and distributed a separate video it commented was shot Sunday at the site that appeared to show people collecting aid The AP was not able to verify the video The foundation has denied previous accounts of chaos and gunfire around its sites which are in Israeli military zones where independent media has no access It was the deadliest episode yet around the new aid distribution system which has operated for less than a week The International Committee of the Red Cross declared in a report its field hospital in Rafah received casualties including women and children of them declared dead upon arrival the majority with gunshot or shrapnel wounds It was unclear if any of the dead were militants All patients stated they had been trying to reach an aid distribution site the ICRC revealed calling it the highest number of weapon-wounded people in a single situation since the hospital was set up over a year ago The head of the World Food Operation Cindy McCain described ABC News that staffers on the ground were reporting people killed and called it a tragedy Aid distribution has become a death trap the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees Philippe Lazzarini disclosed in a message In a separate declaration Israeli military chief of staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir ordered that more aid sites be established and that troops ground operation be expanded in unspecified parts of northern and southern Gaza A new aid system marred by chaos Multiple onlookers have announced Israeli troops fired on crowds near the foundation s sites Before Sunday people were killed while trying to reach them according to Zaher al-Waheidi head of the Gaza Strength Ministry s records department The foundation says private measure contractors guarding its sites have not fired on crowds Israel s military has acknowledged firing warning shots on previous occasions The foundation noted in a announcement it distributed truckloads of aid early Sunday without case and dismissed what it described as false reporting about deaths mass injuries and chaos U N agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system saying it violates humanitarian principles The scene was horrible Thousands of people headed toward the distribution site hours before dawn As they approached Israeli forces ordered them to disperse and come back later bystanders reported When the crowds reached the Flag Roundabout around kilometer away at around a m Israeli forces opened fire the onlookers announced There was fire from all directions from naval warships from tanks and drones reported Amr Abu Teiba who was in the crowd He explained he saw at least bodies with gunshot wounds and several other wounded people including women People used carts to ferry the dead and wounded The scene was horrible he noted Majority people were shot in the upper part of their bodies including the head neck and chest mentioned Dr Marwan al-Hams a Wellness Ministry official at Nasser Hospital where numerous were transferred from the Red Cross field hospital A colleague surgeon Khaled al-Ser explained wounded people had arrived along with bodies The hospital corridors were filled with patients but unlike what I have witnessed before where the majority of the patients were women and children in the current era it was mainly men a spokesperson with health charity MSF Nour Alsaqa declared in a comment Ibrahim Abu Saoud another witness reported the military fired from about meters yards away He revealed he saw multiple people with gunshot wounds including a young man who died at the scene We weren t able to help him he revealed Mohammed Abu Teaima explained he saw Israeli forces open fire and kill his cousin and a woman as they headed toward the distribution site He announced his cousin was shot in his chest and his brother-in-law was among the wounded They opened heavy fire directly toward us he announced An AP reporter arrived at the field hospital at around a m and saw dozens of wounded including women and children The reporter also saw crowds of people returning from the distribution point Various carried boxes of aid but the majority appeared to be empty-handed Gaza s Fitness Ministry disclosed least people were killed and over were wounded This is sinful enough with the humiliation They humiliated us for the sake of food disclosed Ilham Jarghon as fellow Palestinians wept and prayed for the dead Later Sunday Israeli artillery shells struck tents sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis killing three and wounding at least according to Nasser Hospital Israel s military disclosed it was looking into it The UN says new aid system violates humanitarian principles Israel and the U S say the new system is aimed at preventing Hamas from siphoning off assistance Israel has not provided evidence of systematic diversion and the U N denies it has occurred U N agencies and major aid groups say the new system allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites risking yet more mass displacement in the coastal territory It s essentially engineered scarcity Jonathan Whittall interim head in Gaza of the U N humanitarian office explained last week The U N system has struggled to bring in aid after Israel slightly eased its nearly three-month blockade of the territory last month The groups say Israeli restrictions the breakdown of law and order and widespread looting make it extremely arduous to deliver aid to Gaza s roughly million Palestinians Experts have warned that the territory is at danger of famine if more aid is not brought in The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct killing specific people mostly civilians and abducting They are still holding hostages around a third considered to be alive after largest part of the rest were issued in ceasefire agreements or other deals Israel s military campaign has killed over people in Hamas-run Gaza mostly women and children according to Gaza s Fitness Ministry which does not say how numerous of the dead were civilians or combatants The offensive has destroyed vast areas displaced around of the population and left people almost entirely reliant on international aid The latest efforts at ceasefire talks appeared to stumble Saturday when Hamas declared it had sought amendments to a U S ceasefire proposal that Israel had approved and the U S envoy called that unacceptable Mediators Qatar and Egypt in a joint declaration Sunday stated they continued intensive efforts to bridge the gaps in viewpoints and hoped for a swift agreement for a temporary ceasefire lasting days leading to a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip