DEIR AL-B, Gaza Strip (AP) 鈥� At least 34 Palestinians were killed Monday in new shootings in areas of Israeli- and U.S.-supported food distribution centers in the south of the Gaza Strip, the local Health Ministry said.
The toll was the deadliest yet in the near-daily shootings that have taken place as thousands of Palestinians move through Israeli military-controlled areas to reach the food centers run by the private contractor . Two witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire early Monday in an attempt to control the crowds.
There was no immediate comment by the Israeli military. It has said in previous instances that troops fired warning shots at what it calls suspects approaching their positions.
Gaza's Health Ministry said 33 Palestinians were killed trying to reach the GHF center near the southern city of Rafah and another on route to a GHF hub in central Gaza. It said four other people were killed elsewhere.
Two Palestinians trying to get food at the Rafah site, Heba Jouda and Mohammed Abed, told The Associated Press that Israeli forces fired on the crowds at around 4 a.m. at the Flag Roundabout. The traffic circle, hundreds of meters (yards) from the GHF center, has repeatedly been the scene of shootings. The military has designated specific routes to access the food centers, and GHF has warned aid-seekers that leaving the roads is dangerous, but many do in an attempt to get to the food first.
Israel and the United States say the new GHF system is needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid. GHF says there has been no violence in or around the sites themselves.
U.N. agencies and major aid groups, which have delivered humanitarian aid across Gaza since the start of the 20-month Israel-Hamas war, , saying it can鈥檛 meet the territory鈥檚 needs and allows Israel to use aid as a weapon. They deny there is widespread theft of aid by Hamas.
Palestinian health officials say since the sites opened last month. Experts have warned that Israel鈥檚 ongoing military campaign and restrictions on the entry of aid have put Gaza, which is home to some 2 million Palestinians, .
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Magdy reported from Cairo.
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This story corrects a previous version that incorrectly stated that 38 were killed in the vicinity of the food centers.
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Wafaa Shurafa And Samy Magdy, The Associated Press
