At least 26 people have been killed after Israeli tanks open fire near an aid centre in Gaza, rescuers say, and 150 Palestinians have also been injured, according to the Red Cross hospital in Rafah
Local residents told the BBC Israeli forces opened fire near the aid hub in Gaza’s southern city
There was no immediate comment from Israel on the reported attack
Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza and resumed its military offensive against Hamas on 18 March, collapsing a two-month ceasefire brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt
A military campaign was launched by Israel in Gaza in response to Hamas’s cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage
At least 54,381 people have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
The bodies of the dead and wounded have been taken on donkey carts from the site that was hit near a US-funded aid distribution centre in Rafah in southern Gaza.
A local Palestinian journalist says that thousands of Palestinians had gathered early in the morning close to the aid centre when Israeli tanks opened fire.
The BBC has contacted the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) for comment, but has not yet received a response.
The latest deadly incident connected to the new aid mechanism occurred hours after Hamas gave its response to the latest US-backed ceasefire proposal.
A senior Hamas official said the group had responded positively and responsibly, but US envoy Steve Witkoff said that it was totally unacceptable. BBC