Key Points
- At least 31 Palestinians were reportedly killed and over 176 injured near a US-backed aid distribution site in Gaza.
- Witnesses and civil defence sources claim gunfire came from Israeli drones and tanks, causing panic at the site.
- The US and Israeli-backed aid distributor has denied that any such killings or injuries occurred.
Israeli gunfire killed at least 31 Palestinians near a United States-backed aid distribution site, according to Gaza's civil defence agency, with both the group in charge of the site and the military denying any such incident took place.
Civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal told AFP "31 people were killed and more than 176 injured ... after Israeli gunfire targeted thousands of civilians near the American aid centre in Rafah", in southern Gaza.
AFP images showed Palestinians transporting bodies on donkey carts near the aid point as others carried away boxes and bags of supplies under the early-morning sun.
Abdullah Barbakh, a 58-year-old Palestinian man, described "chaos" at the site.
"The army opened fire from drones and tanks," he said. "I don't understand why they call people to the aid centres and then open fire on them."
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, wrote on X that international medics in Gaza had reported there were "mass casualties, including scores of injured and killed among starving civilians due to gunshots".
The US-backed, Israeli-approved aid distributor, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), denied any deaths or injuries had taken place, adding that "these fake reports have been actively fomented by Hamas".
The GHF, which forms part of an attempt to bypass the longstanding UN-led aid system, said it has distributed millions of meals since operations started last week, but the rollout has been marked by chaotic scenes at the limited number of distribution centres.
Near another GHF aid centre in central Gaza, AFP images showed rescuers evacuating injured people with the civil defence reporting one dead and dozens wounded from what they claimed was Israeli fire.
The foundation said the private security contractors guarding its sites did not fire on the crowds, while the Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots.
The military said an initial inquiry found its troops "did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site and that reports to this effect are false".
Before Sunday, at least six people had been killed in other attempts to distribute aid, and more than 50 were wounded, according to local health officials.
The GHF recently started operating in Gaza after an Israeli blockade of aid deliveries lasting three months.
Israel has been allowing a small amount of goods into the sealed-off coastal strip for a few days.
According to the Israeli government, the GHF is to be responsible for distributing aid supplies to the population of Gaza in order to bypass aid organisations from the UN and other initiatives.
The UN has criticised the initiative, fearing it will lure the population to the few distribution centres and accelerate their expulsion from other residential areas.
There have been reports of looting and storming of the new distribution centres in recent days.
Hamas says it's ready to discuss new ceasefire negotiations
Hamas has expressed its readiness to immediately start a round of indirect negotiations to reach an agreement on points of contention in the Gaza ceasefire deal proposed by US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, the group said in a statement.
The group is seeking amendments to the latest US ceasefire proposal for Gaza, but Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, rejected the group's response as "totally unacceptable".
Israeli officials have approved the US proposal for a temporary ceasefire in the nearly 20-month escalation of the war.
A Hamas official said proposed amendments focused on "the US guarantees, the timing of hostage release, the delivery of aid and the withdrawal of Israeli forces".
A separate Hamas statement said the proposal aims for a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an ensured flow of aid.
It said 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 others would be released "in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners".
Fifty-eight hostages remain and Israel believes 35 are dead.
Witkoff wrote on X he was unimpressed with Hamas' response.
"It is totally unacceptable and only takes us backward. Hamas should accept the framework proposal we put forward as the basis for proximity talks, which we can begin immediately this coming week."
