Israeli fire kills 41 in Gaza, many near an aid site, medics say

Israeli gunfire and airstrikes killed at least 41 Palestinians in Gaza on Wednesday, most of them at an aid site operated by the U.S-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the centre of the coastal territory, local health officials said.

Medical officials at Shifa and Al-Quds Hospitals said at least 25 people were killed by Israeli gunfire as they approached the aid site near the former settlement of Netzarim, and dozens were wounded.

The Israeli military said its forces fired warning shots overnight toward suspects who were advancing while posing a threat to the troops in the area of the Netzarim Corridor.

"This is despite warnings that the area is an active combat zone. The IDF is aware of reports regarding individuals injured; the details are under review," it added.

Later on Wednesday, health officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip said at least six people were killed by Israeli gunfire as they approached another GHF site in Rafah further south, taking Wednesday's death toll to at least 41.

A total of 163 people had already been killed and more than 1,000 wounded trying to reach the handful of aid sites operated by the foundation since it began work two weeks ago after a three-month blockade, according to Gaza's health ministry.

The United Nations has condemned the killings. It said the blockade brought the Palestinian enclave to the brink of famine and that food supplies remain critically low.

The foundation said earlier it was unaware of Wednesday's incident but that it is working closely with Israeli authorities to ensure safe passage routes are maintained, and that it is essential for Palestinians to closely follow instructions.

"Ultimately, the solution is more aid, which will create more certainty and less urgency among the population," it said by email in response to Reuters questions.

"There is not yet enough food to feed everyone in need in Gaza. Our current focus is to feed as many people as is safely possible within the constraints of a highly volatile environment."

The UN and other aid groups have refused to supply aid via the foundation, which uses private contractors with Israeli military backup in what they say is a breach of humanitarian standards.

Gaza health officials said 10 other people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in the south of the enclave.

On Tuesday, when Gaza health officials said 17 people were killed near another GHF aid site in Rafah in southern Gaza, the army said it fired warning shots to distance "suspects" who were approaching the troops and posed a threat.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday there had been "significant progress" in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was "too soon" to raise hopes that a deal would be reached.

Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal.

Two Hamas sources told Reuters they did not know about any new ceasefire offers.

The war erupted after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, on October 7, 2023, Israel's single deadliest day.

Israel's military campaign has since killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is home to more than two million people.