Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip opened fire around sunrise on Monday as people approached an aid distribution site a kilometre away, killing at least three and wounding dozens, according to health officials. The shooting took place at the same location where Israeli forces had fired the previous day on crowds heading towards the aid hub in southern Gaza, operated by the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

The Israeli military said it fired warning shots on Monday at “several suspects who advanced toward the troops and posed a threat,” around a kilometre from the aid site, which was closed at the time. The army denied preventing access to the site.

At least 45 Palestinians were killed across Gaza on Monday. Meanwhile, two Israeli soldiers were killed and 11 others injured when a Hummer military vehicle was hit by an anti-tank missile in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza, according to Israeli media.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on Monday for an independent investigation into the killings and injuries near the US-backed aid centre the previous day. He expressed being “appalled by reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid.” Save the Children condemned Israel’s militarised approach to aid distribution in Gaza, describing the killings as a “blatant and shocking disregard of international humanitarian law.”

Since May 27, a total of 75 Palestinians have been killed and more than 400 injured in attacks in areas designated for aid distribution, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

Gaza City is also facing an unprecedented water crisis, with supplies falling below 25% of the minimum requirement, according to local authorities. The Gaza Municipality reported that 75% of the city’s water wells have been destroyed by the Israeli military since October 2023.

On Monday, the Israeli military issued forced evacuation orders for several neighbourhoods in Khan Younis to expand its military operations.

In coordination with Gaza’s Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization evacuated 39 people, including three wounded and their companions, from the Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza after an Israeli request to immediately evacuate the facility.

Aljazeera