
At least 27 Palestinians were killed Tuesday and dozens more wounded as they tried to collect food in southern Gaza, according to local health officials and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The incident occurred near a food distribution site operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private group backed by the U.S. Witnesses say Israeli forces opened fire on the crowd.
The Israeli military acknowledged firing warning shots to disperse what it described as a threatening group approaching troops. In a statement the military said "the troops carried out warning fire, and after the suspects failed to retreat, additional shots were directed near individual suspects who advanced toward the troops." The military says it is investigating the incident and is aware of reports of civilian casualties.