“All of a sudden, they let us move forward and made everyone gather, and then shells started falling, tank shells,” said Alaa, an eyewitness, interviewed by the Reuters news agency at Nasser Hospital, where wounded victims lay sprawled on the floor and in corridors due to the lack of space.

It was the worst death toll in a single day since aid resumed in Gaza in May.

Ekram Naser, right, mourns during the funeral of her brother Yusuf Najjar, who was killed while heading to an aid distribution hub, in Rafah. Source: AAP / AP / Mariam Dagga

In a statement, the Israeli military said: “Earlier today, a gathering was identified adjacent to an aid distribution truck that got stuck in the area of Khan Younis, and in proximity to IDF troops operating in the area.”

The incident was the latest in nearly daily large-scale killings of Palestinians seeking aid in the three weeks since Israel partially lifted a total blockade on the territory it had imposed for nearly three months.