Hamas-controlled health officials and witnesses said Sunday at least four people were killed and others were wounded by Israeli fire around a kilometer (half-mile) from an aid distribution point in the Gaza Strip run by an Israeli- and US-backed group.

The Israel Defense Forces said soldiers fired warning shots at people who approached its forces.

The deaths could not be confirmed, and Hamas figures do not distinguish between fighters and noncombatants.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s operations in the coastal enclave amid the ongoing war have been plagued by alleged deadly shootings for multiple days in a row.

It had earlier said it would open just one aid distribution site in central Gaza Sunday, after keeping its three sites closed the day before over what it said were threats from Hamas against its staff.

The bodies from the latest incident were brought to Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis, which confirmed the toll. Palestinian witnesses said Israeli forces had fired on them at a roundabout in the nearby city of Rafah as they went to get food from a site run by the GHF.

The military said it fired warning shots at people it said were suspects who had advanced toward its forces and ignored warnings to turn away. It said the shooting occurred in an area in southern Gaza that is considered an active combat zone at night.

The GHF did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It says there has been no violence at the sites themselves. But it also closed them temporarily last week to discuss safety measures with the Israeli military and has warned people to stay on designated access routes.

The past two weeks have seen frequent shootings near the new hubs where thousands of desperate Palestinians are being directed to collect food.

Witnesses say nearby Israeli troops have opened fire, and more than 80 people have been killed, according to Hamas-controlled hospital officials. Israel’s military has said it........

© The Times of Israel