At least 31 Palestinians killed while heading to Gaza aid hub, hospital says
The witnesses said Israeli forces fired on crowds about 1,000 yards away from an aid site run by an Israeli-backed foundation.
The army released a brief statement saying it was 'currently unaware of injuries caused by (Israeli military) fire within the Humanitarian Aid distribution site. The matter is still under review'.
The foundation said in a statement that it delivered aid 'without incident' early on Sunday and has denied previous accounts of chaos and gunfire around its sites, which are in Israeli military zones where independent access is limited.
A Palestinian man carries a bag of food after receiving aid from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)
The Gaza health ministry said 31 people were killed and 170 others were wounded, updating an earlier toll.
Hours earlier, officials at a nearby field hospital run by the Red Cross said that at least 21 people were killed and another 175 were wounded, without saying who opened fire on them.
An Associated Press reporter saw dozens of wounded people being treated at the hospital.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation 's distribution of aid has been marred by chaos, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the delivery sites.
Before Sunday, at least six people had been killed and more than 50 wounded according to local health officials.
The foundation says the private security contractors guarding its sites have not fired on the crowds, while the Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots on previous occasions.
The foundation said in a statement that it distributed 16 truckloads of aid early Sunday 'without incident', and dismissed what it referred to as 'false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos'.
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