Gaza鈥檚 civil defence agency said Israeli gunfire and air strikes killed at least 22 people on Friday, including eight who were waiting to collect food aid in the war-battered Palestinian territory.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said that five people were killed in a strike in the southern Gaza Strip, and four more when a vehicle was hit in the central area of Deir el-Balah.
Bassal said Israeli forces killed five Palestinians who were trying to return to the Gaza City area, in the territory鈥檚 north, after word had spread that troops had withdrawn from there.
There was no comment from the Israeli military, which said it could not confirm any of the incidents without specific coordinates for each of them.
The civil defence agency reported deadly fire at Palestinians who were seeking humanitarian aid, in a territory where UN-backed experts have reported that 鈥榝amine is now unfolding鈥�.
Bassal said six people were killed by Israeli gunfire while waiting near northern Gaza鈥檚 Zikim crossing, through which aid trucks have entered from Israel in recent weeks.
Israeli fire on a crowd near an aid distribution site in southern Gaza killed two people and wounded 70 others, the civil defence said.
The site is run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, whose operations have been marred by chaotic scenes and near-daily reports of deadly incidents.
The Israeli military did not comment on the latest reports, while the GHF has denied that fatal shootings have occurred in the immediate vicinity of its aid points.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties.
As Gazans face dire conditions after nearly 22 months of war, thousands have gathered each day near aid distribution points in Gaza, including the four operated by the GHF.
Israeli restrictions on the entry of goods and aid into Gaza have led to severe shortages of food and essential goods, including medical supplies and fuel, which hospitals rely on to power their generators.
The shortages were exacerbated by more than two months of a total blockade on aid imposed by Israel, which began easing the stoppage in late May as GHF began its operations.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff made a rare visit on Friday to a GHF site in Gaza, with the aim to 鈥榟elp craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza鈥�.
An Israeli defence ministry body overseeing civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, COGAT, said that more than 200 trucks of aid had been collected and distributed by the United Nations and international organisations on Thursday.
Four fuel tankers for UN agencies also entered the Palestinian territory, and 43 pallets of supplies were parachuted into Gaza in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan, COGAT added.
The UN says Gaza requires at least 500 trucks of aid per day.
