At least 11 people were killed Wednesday in two separate incidents as Israel continued to target aid-seekers and facilities in Gaza.
Israeli fire killed five people at a food distribution center in southern Gaza's Rafah, Palestinian health officials said Wednesday.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the incident in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza's 2.3 million population is sheltering after the main U.N. agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) said one of its facilities had been hit.
At least one UNRWA staff member was among the five killed and 22 others were injured, the agency said, even though the facility's coordinates had been shared with the Israeli military.
Israel claims it tries to minimize civilian deaths as it battles Hamas militants in urban areas.
"Today’s attack on one of the very few remaining UNRWA distribution centers in the Gaza Strip comes as food supplies are running out, hunger is widespread and in some areas, turning into famine," said UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini.
In a separate incident, Israeli forces killed at least six people in their latest attack on Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid at the Kuwait Roundabout in Gaza City, the Palestinian WAFA news agency reported.
The agency added that at least 83 others who were wounded in the attack have been transferred to the Shifa Medical Complex in the city.
This is the second Israeli attack on the Kuwait Roundabout – an area where people gather in large groups to wait for aid trucks – in recent weeks. Earlier Monday night, Israeli forces killed 11 people waiting for food aid at the roundabout.
These growing attacks come amid U.N. warnings that at least 576,000 people in Gaza – one-quarter of the population – are on the brink of famine.
On Tuesday, the United Nations used a new land route to deliver food to northern Gaza for the first time in three weeks.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday he was determined to have UNRWA replaced by other agencies without harming aid distribution, accusing the agency of alleged links with Hamas.
