UN says dozens reportedly injured by Israeli gunfire at Gaza aid site
The United Nations (UN) says dozens of civilians have been reportedly injured while rushing toward a Gaza aid distribution point, with most shot by Israeli forces.
Israel's defence force has denied the claims.
On Tuesday, local time, thousands of hungry Palestinians overran an aid compound in southern Gaza, desperate for food after a weeks-long Israeli blockade.
The UN's human rights office said it had seen unverified footage of panicked crowds "rushing in different directions," while others carried away boxes of supplies.
Ajith Sunghay, the head of the UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian Territory, said on Wednesday that "about 47 people were injured" while trying to collect aid.
Speaking to the media in Geneva, he added those numbers could increase as information on the incident was still being gathered.
"Most of the injuries were caused by bullets," he said, adding: "The shots came from the Israeli army."
The Israeli military denied the UN's claims, saying its soldiers "fired warning shots into the air, in the area outside" the centre.
Israeli military spokesperson Colonel Olivier Rafowicz said that "in no case [did they fire] towards the people".
"We are checking information from the UN," he said, referring to the injured civilians.
"At the time we are speaking, we have no information on this matter."
Mr Rafowicz added that Hamas was "doing everything to prevent humanitarian aid".
The aid is some of the first food Gaza residents had access to in weeks.
Israel has stopped almost all aid from entering Gaza since March 2, only allowing small amounts into the strip in the past week.
The aid distribution site was managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a newly formed agency with links to both the American and Israeli governments.
The United Nations and other international aid groups refused to take part, saying the scheme violates the principle that aid should be distributed neutrally, based only on need.
"We have raised numerous concerns with this mechanism," Mr Sunghay said.
"What we saw yesterday is a very clear example of the dangers of distributing food under the circumstances which the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is doing."
The GHF said on Wednesday it temporarily halted aid distribution in Gaza due to disorder, adding it was working to resolve the issues to guarantee safety.
Hours after the turmoil at the aid distribution site, several Gaza residents and merchants reported a number of UN food trucks were targeted by looters.
One Palestinian transport operator said at least 20 trucks belonging to the UN World Food Programme were attacked shortly before midnight.
"Some trucks made it through, then it seems that people became aware of that," one witness told Reuters.
"They woke up, some placed barriers on the road, intercepted and stole the goods."
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