Five Palestinians were killed and 10 others injured by Israeli fire while waiting for aid in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian local media reported on Wednesday.

The incident occurred at south of Wadi Gaza in the central part of the embattled territory.

The Israeli military said it was investigating the report.

Reports of deadly incidents near aid distribution points run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) have been recurring.

The private foundation, which received support from Israel and the United States, began operations in the sealed-off coastal territory in May after an almost three-month Israeli halt to humanitarian deliveries.

The latest violence comes amid the ongoing conflict that erupted after a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage to Gaza.

Since then, the Hamas-controlled health authority in Gaza says more than 61,700 Palestinians have been killed.

The said figures were difficult to independently verify and did not distinguish between civilians and fighters.

However international organisations such as the United Nations consider the figures to be largely credible.

According to the health authority, more than 1,850 people have died attempting to collect aid.

Civilians, often desperately hungry, faces dangerous conditions while trying to reach humanitarian supplies.  

(dpa/NAN)