31 killed while heading to Gaza aid hub, officials and witnesses say

“Aid distribution has become a death trap,” the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, said in a statement.

At least 31 people were killed and over 170 were wounded on Sunday while on their way to receive food in the Gaza Strip, according to health officials and multiple witnesses. The witnesses said Israeli forces fired on crowds around a kilometer (1,000 yards) from a new aid site run by an Israeli-backed foundation.

Israel’s military said in a statement that its forces did not fire at civilians near or within the site, citing an initial inquiry.

The foundation — promoted by Israel and the United States — said in a statement it delivered aid “without incident.” It has denied previous accounts of chaos and gunfire around its sites, which are in Israeli military zones where independent media has no access.

“Aid distribution has become a death trap,” the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, said in a statement.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation ’s aid distribution has been marred by chaos in its first week of operations, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near its sites. Before Sunday, 17 people were killed while trying to reach the sites, according to Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Health Ministry’s records department.

The foundation says private security contractors guarding its sites have not fired on the crowds. Israel’s military has acknowledged firing warning shots on previous occasions.

The foundation said in a statement it distributed 16 truckloads of aid early Sunday “without incident,” and dismissed what it described as “false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos.”

Thousands of people headed toward the distribution site in southern Gaza hours before dawn. As they approached, Israeli forces ordered them to disperse and come back later, witnesses said. When the crowds reached the Flag Roundabout, around 1 kilometer away, at around 3 a.m., Israeli forces opened fire, the witnesses said.