Israeli gunfire and airstrikes killed at least 41 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them at an aid site operated by the US-Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the centre of the coastal territory, local health officials said.
Medical officials at Al-Shifa and Al-Quds Hospitals said at least 25 people were killed by Israeli gunfire as they approached the aid site near the former settlement of Netzarim, and dozens were wounded.
The Israeli military claimed its forces fired warning shots overnight toward suspects who were advancing while posing a threat to the troops in the area of the Netzarim Corridor.
Later, health officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza said at least six people were killed by Israeli gunfire as they approached another GHF site in Rafah further south, taking today's death toll to at least 41.
A total of 163 people had already been killed and more than 1,000 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 claimed 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.
"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 ten other people were killed in an Israeli attack in Khan Younis in the south of the enclave.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the reports.
Yesterday, when Gaza health officials said 17 people were killed near another GHF aid site in Rafah in southern Gaza, the Israeli army claimed it fired warning shots to distance "suspects" who were approaching the troops and posed a threat.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed 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 current stage of the war erupted after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally, in an 7 October 2023 attack.
Israel's war 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.
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Charity accuses Israel of attack that killed eight people
Medical charity Médecins du Monde accused Israel of violating international law with drone strikes on a building housing one of its offices in Gaza that killed eight people, none of them staff.
The France-based aid group said in a statement yesterday's attack "constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law, which protects both civilian populations and humanitarian organisations operating in conflict zones".
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"Yesterday morning, at around 11am local time, a building in Deir el-Balah housing a Médecins du Monde office was attacked by drones," the aid group said.
Its staff had not been present as they had been off as part of the Eid al-Adha holiday, it added.
"At least eight people were killed in the bombardment. All were on the last floor of the building," it said, without providing more details on those killed.
"Médecins du Monde had informed the Israeli military of the presence of its office, which had officially been declared 'deconflicted', or shielded from Israeli military attacks under humanitarian coordination agreements," it said.
"However, as during previous Israeli attacks, the team received no forward warning that would have allowed it to evacuate the building or take measures to protect anyone inside," it added.
Several other non-governmental organisations as well as Palestinians displaced by the war are based in the same area, it said.
Israel says bodies of two hostages retrieved from Gaza
Meanwhile, Israeli forces retrieved the bodies of two hostages from the Gaza Strip, the military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, as Israel pressed its offensive in the Palestinian territory.
A military statement said a joint operation by the army and the Shin Bet security agency recovered the bodies of Yair Yaakov and "an additional hostage whose name has not yet been cleared for publication" from the Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza.
Mr Yaakov, a member of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was 59 when he was seized in the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attack on Israel and killed the same day, the Israeli military said.
The military statement said he had been abducted and killed by fighters from Islamic Jihad, a Hamas ally.
Mr Yaakov was abducted along with his partner Meirav Tal, as they sheltered in their safe room in Nir Oz.
She was freed on 28 November 2023 during the first truce.
Abducted separately at the home of their mother, Mr Yaakov's two children Yagil and Or were also released on 27 November during the first truce.
