Thirty-four Palestinians were shot dead in areas near food distribution centres in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, health officials said.
The death toll was the highest in a period of near-daily gunfire that erupted as thousands of Palestinians crossed Israeli-held areas to reach food centres run by the private Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Two witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire early Monday morning in an attempt to disperse the crowd.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment. It had previously said it had fired warning shots at what it considered suspects approaching its positions.
Gaza's Health Ministry said 33 Palestinians died trying to reach a GHF center near the southern city of Rafah, and another on his way to a GHF center in central Gaza. Four other people died in various locations.
Two Palestinians trying to get food in Rafah, Heba Juda and Mohammed Abed, told The Associated Press that Israeli troops opened fire on the crowd around 4 a.m. at a flag-strewn roundabout.
The roundabout, located a few hundred metres from the centre of the GHF, has been the site of repeated clashes.
The military has designated special routes to access food centres, and the GHF has warned those in need that it is not safe to leave the roads, but many do so anyway in an effort to get to the food first.
Israel and the US say the new GHF system is needed to prevent Hamas from stealing aid.
According to GHF, no violence was recorded at or around the sites.
UN agencies and major aid organisations that have been delivering aid to Gaza since the start of the 20-month conflict between Israel and Hamas have rejected the new system, arguing it fails to meet the region's needs and allows Israel to use aid as a weapon.
They also deny claims that Hamas is engaged in large-scale theft of humanitarian aid.
Palestinian health officials say dozens of people have died and hundreds have been injured since the sites opened last month.
Experts warn that Israel's ongoing military offensive and restrictions on humanitarian aid are putting the Gaza Strip, home to some 2.0 million Palestinians, at risk of famine.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
