US-backed aid distribution organisation says 20 people killed at site in Gaza
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said 19 people were trampled and another was stabbed, as the crowd surged at the site in Khan Younis.
It blamed what it described as "agitators" in the crowd, saying it believed they were linked to Hamas.
"We have credible reason to believe that elements within the crowd — armed and affiliated with Hamas — deliberately fomented the unrest," GHF said in a statement.
"For the first time since operations began, GHF personnel identified multiple firearms in the crowd, one of which was confiscated. An American worker was also threatened with a firearm by a member of the crowd during the incident."
GHF said the incident followed a "troubling pattern" of false information about aid site openings being circulated online.
"False messages about aid site openings, including at SDS4 (Wadi Gaza) and the long-closed SDS1 (Tal Sultan), have circulated widely on Telegram and other platforms, fuelling confusion, driving crowds to closed sites, and inciting disorder," the statement said.
The international humanitarian community has been scathing in its criticism of the GHF-run sites, saying they were death traps for desperate Palestinians trying to access food.
There have been multiple shootings outside the distribution facilities in recent weeks, which local health authorities said have killed hundreds of Palestinians.
GHF has repeatedly rejected those claims, but added that it does not have responsibility for incidents happening in the areas outside of its distribution sites.
The Israel Defense Forces has admitted firing warning shots at some of the sites, but has denied being involved in mass shootings.
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