Aid distribution centres in Gaza will be closed for a day on Wednesday, as the Israeli military warned roads leading to the sites will be considered “combat zones”.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial US and Israel-backed aid network which began operating last week, said it was closing its sites for “update, organization and efficiency improvements works”.
In a separate update, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said people would be “prohibited” from entering the distribution centres or travelling on roads leading to them.
Overnight on Tuesday, at least 27 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire close to a distribution centre, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence Agency.
The IDF said its troops fired shots after identifying suspects who moved towards them “deviating from the designated access routes”.
It was the third deadly incident in as many days to occur on a route to a GHF site.
GHF said it would start distributing aid again on Thursday.
It comes as humanitarian organisations continue to warn that Palestinians in Gaza do not have sufficient access to food, water and other supplies.
The GHF aims to replace the UN-led aid distribution network in Gaza following repeated claims from Israel that it did not prevent supplies being hijacked by Hamas, which the UN denies.
Under the new distribution system, Gazans are required to collect supplies from a small number of centres in areas under Israeli military control and staffed by armed American contractors.
Critics say the model has left people needing to walk long distances to the sites and transport boxes weighing 20kg back to their homes or shelters.
The UN and other humanitarian organisations have accused the GHF of failing to uphold humanitarian principles.
Also on Tuesday, Reverend Dr Johnnie Moore – a Christian evangelical pastor and prominent supporter of US President Donald Trump – was announced as the new head of GHF.
He was appointed to replace its first chief Jake Wood, a former US marine who stood down and criticised the GHF model.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas’ cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
At least 54,470 people have been killed in Gaza since then, including 4,201 since Israel resumed its offensive on 18 March, according to the territory’s health ministry.
