At least 50 Palestinians killed near aid centres in Gaza
According to the ministry, at least 23 of the victims were killed near an aid distribution site in Rafah, in the south of the strip. About 200 others were wounded in the same incident.
Dozens of Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks near aid distribution centres, with witnesses saying they had come under fire from Israeli soldiers.
Israel's military did not comment immediately on the latest incident, but has acknowledged in the past that its troops had fired warning shots against 'suspicious' people heading to the aid centres, while blaming militants for provoking the violence.
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The killings had added pressure on Israel to allow more aid into the territory after a three-month siege brought it to the brink of famine, according to the UN.
The UN has begun bringing in much-needed supplies, but it complains that the amount allowed in by Israel is insufficient. It has also been critical of a new US and Israeli-backed organisation, the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), that has employed armed contractors to hand out aid at several distribution sites, close to where the shootings have taken place.
The GHF said in a statement on Monday that it has distributed more than three million meals at its four distribution sites without incident.
The group has been mired in controversy after two top executives quit, citing the constraints on their work. A leading American consultancy also cancelled its contract with the group and suspended its lead employee on the project.
The Hamas-run health ministry said the shootings on Monday took place in southern Gaza, where the GHF had set up its centres. If confirmed, it would be the deadliest such incident yet.
After ceasefire talks with Hamas unravelled last month, Israel launched a new operation aimed at destroying Hamas, freeing the hostages it still holds, and 'encouraging' Gaza's 2.1 million inhabitants to leave the devastated territory.
Britain, France and Canada had threatened Israel with sanctions over the new operation, with Britain suspending trade talks and sanctioning two extremist Israeli ministers.
The war began in October 2023 after Hamas attacked Israel, killing more than 1,100 people and kidnapping more than 200. More than 56,000 Palestinians have been killed since, according to the health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and militants. It is run by Hamas, but its tolls are viewed as generally reliable by the UN.
Volker Türk, the UN human rights chief, called on governments to pressure Israel on Monday to end the war, as attention shifted to Israel's conflict with Iran, which rained missiles on Israeli cities.
'Israel's means and methods of warfare are inflicting horrifying, unconscionable suffering on Palestinians in Gaza,' Türk said at a UN meeting.
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