Doctor describes ‘total carnage’ as 27 reported killed by Israeli fire at Gaza aid centre – live updates

Scenes of chaos have broken out at aid distribution centres run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) – a controversial US and Israeli-backed group that uses armed American security contractors – since it began operations after Israel eased an 11-week aid blockade on 19 May. Here’s an overview of incidents reported over the last week.

27 May: Forty-seven people were injured when crowds overwhelmed an aid distribution centre run by the GHF, according to the UN Human Rights Office. The Hamas-run health ministry says one person was killed and 48 others were injured. An IDF spokesperson said troops fired “warning shots” into the air in the area outside the site in Rafah but did not fire towards people. The GHF says “no shots were fired at Palestinian crowds”.

29 May: A witness who had gone to a GHF aid distribution centre near Rafah described scenes of chaos. A 60-year-old man at the site said aid supplies were more difficult for the elderly and vulnerable to obtain. People described similar scenes at an aid site in central Gaza, with a number telling the BBC they had come away empty-handed.

Meanwhile, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) said two people had reportedly been killed and several others injured after “hordes of hungry people” broke into a food supply warehouse in central Gaza.

31 May: Crowds of civilians rushed aid trucks in Gaza, the World Food Programme said.

1 June: The Hamas-run civil defence agency in Gaza said at least 31 people were killed and many more wounded by “Israeli gunfire” near an aid distribution centre in Rafah. The Red Cross said its hospital received 179 casualties, 21 of whom were dead. The IDF said findings from an initial inquiry showed its forces had not fired at people while they were near or within the aid centre.

2 June: Gaza health officials and local media report that another three Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire near the same GHF centre in Rafah. The Israeli military said “warning shots were fired toward several suspects who advanced toward” troops approximately 1km (0.6 miles) from the site.

Today: The Hamas-run health ministry said at least 27 people have been killed and 90 injured by Israeli fire while waiting for aid distribution in Rafah, southern Gaza. The Israeli military says it fired shots near an aid complex after identifying “several suspects”.