Casualties mount near US-backed aid sites in Gaza

Israeli gunfire and airstrikes have killed at least 35 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them at an aid site operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the centre of the coastal territory, local health officials say.

Medical officials at Shifa and Al-Quds Hospitals said at least 25 people were killed by Israeli gunfire on Wednesday as they approached the aid site near the former settlement of Netzarim, and dozens were wounded.

A total of 163 people had already been killed and more than 1000 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.

The United Nations has said the blockade brought the Palestinian enclave to the brink of famine and that food supplies remain critically low.

The foundation said it was unaware of the incident but that it is working closely with Israeli authorities to ensure safe passage routes are maintained, and that it is essential for Palestinians to closely follow instructions.

"Ultimately, the solution is more aid, which will create more certainty and less urgency among the population," it said by email in response to Reuters questions.

"There is not yet enough food to feed everyone in need in Gaza. Our current focus is to feed as many people as is safely possible within the constraints of a highly volatile environment."

The UN and other aid groups have refused to supply aid via the foundation, which uses private contractors with Israeli military backup in what they say is a breach of humanitarian standards.

Gaza health officials said 10 other people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in the south of the enclave.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the reports.

On Tuesday, when Gaza health officials said 17 people were killed near another GHF aid site at Rafah in southern Gaza, the army said it fired warning shots to distance "suspects" who were approaching the troops and posed a threat.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday there had been significant progress in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was too soon to raise hopes that a deal would be reached.

Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal.

Two Hamas sources told Reuters they did not know about any new ceasefire offers.

The war erupted after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1200 people, most of them civilians, in an October 7, 2023, attack, Israel's single deadliest day.

Israel's military campaign has since killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is home to more than two million people.