Scores of Gazans killed in new aid operation

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.

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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.