'Israeli fire kills 27 Palestinians waiting for food'

At least 27 people were killed by Israeli fire as they waited for food at a distribution point set up by an Israeli-backed group in Gaza, according to health officials in the strip.

- Lorenzo Tondo Jerusalem Malak A Tantesh Gaza

It is the third such incident in three days, with Israel admitting yesterday for the first time that its forces shot at individuals who were moving towards them.

The Gaza civil defence spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal told Agence France-Presse: "Israeli forces opened fire with tanks and drones on thousands of civilians who had gathered since dawn near the al-Alam roundabout in the al-Mawasi area, north-west of Rafah." Gaza's health ministry said 27 people were killed early yesterday.

It is the same site where health officials said more than 30 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire on Sunday while they were heading to the distribution hub.

Volker Türk, the United Nations' human rights chief, described the "deadly attacks" on civilians around food distribution as a war crime.

"Deadly attacks on distraught civilians trying to access the paltry amounts of food aid in Gaza are unconscionable," Türk said. "Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law and a war crime." "There were three children and two women among the dead," Mohammed Saqr, the head of nursing at Nasser hospital, which received the 27 bodies, told the Guardian. "Most of the patients had gunshot wounds, others had shrapnel all over their bodies, which means they were targeted with tanks or artillery munitions." Doctors at Nasser hospital said the Israeli forces had mostly targeted the head, the chest and the upper parts of the bodies of the victims, and that the health facility was running out of blood units and medical supplies.