Israeli forces kill 51 Palestinians waiting for flour at Gaza aid site, witnesses and rescuers say

Israeli forces have killed more than 51 Palestinians and wounded many more after opening fire near an aid distribution site in southern Gaza, witnesses and rescuers say.

The Hamas-run civil defence agency said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the aid site in Khan Younis. More than 200 people were reportedly injured.

The Israeli military has told the BBC it is looking into the reports.

It is the latest, and potentially the deadliest, of the almost daily shootings that have been taking place recently near aid distribution sites in Gaza.

Witnesses say that Israeli forces opened fire and shelled an area near a junction to the east of Khan Younis, where thousands of Palestinians had been gathering in the hope of getting flour from a World Food Programme (WFP) site, which also includes a community kitchen nearby.

A local journalist and eyewitnesses said Israeli drones fired two missiles, followed shortly after by a shell from an Israeli tank positioned between 400 and 500m away from the crowd. The explosions caused many casualties.

The crowd had assembled near a key road leading to the town of Bani Suheila, an area that has seen weeks of ongoing Israeli military operations.

Nasser Hospital, the main functioning medical facility in the area, has been overwhelmed by the number of casualties. It is so overcrowded that the many wounded are lying on the floor as medical staff treat their injuries.

In a statement the IDF said “a gathering was identified adjacent to an aid distribution truck that got stuck in the area of Khan Younis, and in proximity to IDF troops operating in the area.”

It said it was “aware of reports regarding a number of injured individuals from IDF fire following the crowd’s approach” and the incident was under review.

On Monday, the UN human rights chief Volker Turk said Israel was weaponising food and called for an investigation into the shootings near aid sites.

Addressing the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, he said: “Israel’s means and methods of warfare are inflicting horrifying, unconscionable suffering on Palestinians in Gaza.”