At least six Palestinians were killed and several others were injured in a gunfire allegedly led by Israeli military in the latest deadly incident near an aid distribution centre in southern Gaza, Civil Defence agency which is run by Hamas militant group said.

According to a spokesperson of the Civil Defence agency, people had gathered to collect aid supplies near the aid distribution centre when the sudden shooting started on Saturday morning. Reports which quoted eyewitnesses stated that the Israeli military opened fire as soon as the people started advancing towards the aid site, BBC reported.

The Israeli military, in its defence, has said that it fired several warning shots at the suspects who approached them in a threatening manner. Since the aid distribution started in the southern Gaza region, dozens of Palestinians have been killed and hundreds have been injured in the past week.

Nattapong Pinta was a hardworking and beloved man who worked in agriculture in Kibbutz Nir Oz. He was held hostage for 610 days by terrorists in Gaza. On October 7, 2023, he was abducted with some of his friends. His family, wife and son are waiting for his return. He was… pic.twitter.com/Z9hnBwauul — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 7, 2025

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the aid distribution agency backed by the United States and Israel, has said that it has paused its distribution to deal with overcrowding and enhance the safety infrastructure. But people are gathering near a roundabout on a daily basis on the edge of the Israeli military zone through which they have to pass to reach the aid site.

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According to a statement released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Gazans have been told that the area is an active combat zone during nighttime hours. Meanwhile, GHF has said that it wasn’t able to distribute aid on Saturday due to direct threat from Hamas, which the militant group has denied.

The United Nations has not shown its support towards GHF and said that it doesn’t provide enough food and medicine to deal with Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, rather putting Palestinians in danger.

In a special operation by Israeli forces in the Rafah area of southern Gaza on Friday, the military recovered the body of a Thai national named Nattapong Pinta.

Body of Thai hostage recovered from Gaza, Israel says

It comes after the Israeli army recovered the bodies of two Israeli Americans in Gaza earlier this week.

Mr Nattapong is likely to have been killed during his first months of captivity, an Israeli military official said. Before the operation, it was not known whether he was dead or alive.

He said the body of Nattapong Pinta was retrieved during a special operation in the Rafah area of southern Gaza on Friday. The 35-year-old was working as an agricultural labourer in southern Israel when he was kidnapped.

Israel has retrieved the body of a Thai national taken hostage during the Hamas-led attack in October 2023, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says.

Mr Nattapong was the married father of a young son, the military official said. He had been working at Kibbutz Nir Oz to support his family in Thailand when he was captured by a militant group called the Mujahideen Brigades.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the mission to recover his body was launched following information from the interrogation of a “captured terrorist”.

After reports of his recovery on Saturday, the BBC tried to reach out to Mr Nattapong’s wife. She did not answer the call but texted back with a picture of her son crying.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group said the recovery comes after “20 terrible and agonising months of devastating uncertainty”.

The group urged the Israeli government to reach an agreement with Hamas to free the remaining captives.

Mr Nattapong is believed to be the last remaining Thai national abducted during the 7 October 2023 attack. Five Thai hostages were released during a ceasefire earlier this year – all of them alive.

The Israeli army retrieved the bodies of an elderly couple, Judy and Gadi Haggai, in the Gazan city of Khan Younis on Thursday.

The couple were killed at the same kibbutz and their bodies were also held by the Mujahideen Brigades, according to the IDF.

Meanwhile, there has been another shooting incident near a US-backed aid distribution centre in the southern Gaza Strip.

Six Palestinians were killed and several wounded by Israeli gunfire while gathering to collect food supplies on Saturday, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency.

The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at suspects who approached them in a threatening manner.

Dozens of Palestinians have been killed and hundreds injured trying to approach the distribution centre this week.

The organisation running it, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, said it had paused operations to deal with overcrowding and improve safety.

Following a three-month blockade, Israel began to allow limited aid into Gaza in the last week or so.

It is almost 20 months since Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led cross-border attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 54,677 people have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to the territory’s health ministry.

Some 54 of those captured during the attack by Hamas on 7 October, 2023 remain in captivity, including 31 the Israeli military says are dead.

Dawn French says sorry for posting ‘one-sided’ Gaza video

“I hope you will understand my intention was not to offend, but I clearly have. For which I am sorry and I have removed the video,” she added.

On Saturday, French acknowledged on Instagram that the video “appeared one-sided”, and said she never meant to “mock, or dismiss, or diminish the horror” of that day.

The video sparked a backlash, with critics accusing the actress and comedian of appearing to “mock” the 7 October 2023 attack that triggered the war.

Dawn French has taken down a video she posted on Instagram about the war in Gaza, saying she apologised “unreservedly” for it.

In the 40-second video, posted earlier this week, the Vicar of Dibley star shared her views on the ongoing war, saying: “Complicated, no, but nuanced. But [the] bottom line is no.”

Switching into a high-pitched voice, she went on to say: “Yeah, but you know they did a bad thing to us, yeah but no. But we want that land… and we have history… No. Those people aren’t really even people, are they really? No.”

On social media, people were quick to criticise her, with actress Tracy-Ann Oberman saying she was “so saddened” by the post.

“This mocking voice ‘bad thing’ of October 7 that Dawn (who I revere by the way) appears [to] be mocking involved the most horrific terrorist attack involving rape, sexual violence, burning alive, child mutilation and taking of civilian hostages,” she wrote.

“Why would Dawn seem to deny that which has affected so many of us personally in the most painful way possible.”

MP Rosie Duffield commented on Oberman’s post, writing: “One can, and should hate what is happening in Gaza and also condemn the hideous events of October 7th.

“It is agonising to see events unfold, and requires extremely careful, measured and well-considered comments and actions. This is not that.”

Meanwhile, screenwriter and activist Lee Kern called her video “sneering mockery”.

Responding to the backlash, French said that she had posted a video in the style that she has been using for social media “in an effort to convey an important point”.

She added that she had “clumsily used a mocking tone”.

“My intention was NEVER to mock, or dismiss, or diminish the horror of what happened on 7 October 2023 and what continues to unfold from that brutal unthinkable, unforgiveable, savage attack,” she said.

She said her intention had been “to mock and point the finger of shame at the behaviour of the cruel leaders on all sides of this atrocious war”.

“THEY were my target, but clearly I failed to do that, and that’s on me. I apologise unreservedly, and I’m particularly sorry that my disgust at Hamas didn’t figure. It appeared one-sided and that is wrong.”

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led cross-border attack almost 20 months ago, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Some 54 of those captured during the attack remain in captivity, including 31 the Israeli military says are dead.

At least 54,607 people have been killed in Gaza since then, including 4,335 since Israel resumed its offensive on 18 March, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.

Six killed by Israeli gunfire near Gaza aid site, Hamas officials say

5 hours ago Share Save Barbara Plett Usher BBC correspondent Reporting from Jerusalem Dearbail Jordan BBC correspondent Reporting from London Share Save

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Six Palestinians have been killed and several others wounded by Israeli gunfire in the latest deadly incident close to an aid distribution centre in southern Gaza, the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency says. People had gathered to collect food supplies on Saturday morning when the shooting started, a spokesman for the agency said. Reports quoting an eyewitness said the Israelis opened fire when people tried to advance towards the site. The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at suspects who approached them in a threatening manner. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed and hundreds injured trying to get to the distribution centre this week.

The US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) which runs the centre says it has paused its operations to deal with overcrowding and improve safety. But people have gathered nearly every day at a roundabout on the edge of an Israeli military zone, through which they have to pass to reach the aid site. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they had told Gazans the area was an active combat zone during nighttime hours. GHF said it had not been able to distribute food on Saturday because of direct threats from Hamas – something the group has denied. Whatever the case, the new incident will almost certainly strengthen international criticism of the new distribution model. The United Nations insists it puts Palestinians in danger and does not provide enough food and medicine to deal with Gaza’s humanitarian crisis. Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said at least 15 people had also been killed by Israeli air strikes on a residential home in Gaza city, with reports that some of the casualties remained trapped in the rubble. The Israeli army said the strikes had eliminated the head of a Palestinian militant group known as the Mujahideen Brigades. The Israelis have accused the group of killing and kidnapping some of the victims of the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October, including a Thai national named Nattapong Pinta. His body was recovered in the Rafah area of southern Gaza in a special operation on Friday.

[Getty Images]

Six Palestinians have been killed and several others wounded by Israeli gunfire in the latest deadly incident close to an aid distribution centre in southern Gaza, the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency says.

People had gathered to collect food supplies on Saturday morning when the shooting started, a spokesman for the agency said. Reports quoting an eyewitness said the Israelis opened fire when people tried to advance towards the site.

The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at suspects who approached them in a threatening manner.

Dozens of Palestinians have been killed and hundreds injured trying to get to the distribution centre this week.

The US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) which runs the centre says it has paused its operations to deal with overcrowding and improve safety.

But people have gathered nearly every day at a roundabout on the edge of an Israeli military zone, through which they have to pass to reach the aid site.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they had told Gazans the area was an active combat zone during nighttime hours.

GHF said it had not been able to distribute food on Saturday because of direct threats from Hamas – something the group has denied.

Whatever the case, the new incident will almost certainly strengthen international criticism of the new distribution model.

The United Nations insists it puts Palestinians in danger and does not provide enough food and medicine to deal with Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.

Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said at least 15 people had also been killed by Israeli air strikes on a residential home in Gaza city, with reports that some of the casualties remained trapped in the rubble.

The Israeli army said the strikes had eliminated the head of a Palestinian militant group known as the Mujahideen Brigades.

The Israelis have accused the group of killing and kidnapping some of the victims of the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October, including a Thai national named Nattapong Pinta.

His body was recovered in the Rafah area of southern Gaza in a special operation on Friday.

Israel recently began to allow limited aid into Gaza after a three-month blockade, prioritising distribution through the GHF.

But the foundation has been mired in controversy.

Medics and local health authorities reported more than 60 Palestinians were killed by gunfire over three days shortly after it started operating.

Multiple witnesses blamed Israeli soldiers for the killings.

The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots on the first two days and shot near Palestinian suspects advancing towards their positions on the third, adding that it is investigating the incidents.

The distribution centre is one of four operated in Gaza by the GHF.

It is part of a new aid system – widely condemned by humanitarian groups – aimed at circumventing the UN which Israel has accused of failing to prevent Hamas from diverting supplies to its fighters.

The UN has denied these allegations, stating that it can account for all the aid it hands out and that the GHF’s system is unworkable and unethical.

It is almost 20 months since Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led cross-border attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 54,677 people have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to the territory’s health ministry.