Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that at around 7am, “six people were killed and several others wounded by the forces of the Israeli occupation near the Al-Alam roundabout” in southern Gaza’s Rafah area.

Gazans have massed at Al-Alam almost daily since late May to collect humanitarian aid at a centre about 1km away, operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Samir Abu Hadid, who was there early today, told AFP that thousands of people had gathered near the roundabout.

“As soon as some people tried to advance towards the aid centre, the Israeli occupation forces opened fire from armoured vehicles stationed near the centre, firing into the air and then at civilians,” Abu Hadid said.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it was looking into the incident, the latest deadly fire near the Al-Alam aid point.

The GHF began operations in late May as Israel partially eased a more than two-month blockade on the Gaza Strip.

The United Nations, which has refused to cooperate with the GHF over neutrality concerns, has warned that Gaza’s entire population of more than 2 million people was at risk of starvation.

In the territory’s north early today, Bassal said seven people were killed in an Israeli strike that hit a house near Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital.

The Israeli military said it was looking into the report.