Israeli forces fired at Palestinians seeking aid; health officials say dozens are dead

More than two dozen people were killed early Tuesday by Israeli fire as they tried to reach aid in Gaza, local health officials said.

More than two dozen people were killed early Tuesday after the Israeli military opened fire close to a controversial aid distribution point in Gaza, local health officials said, the third time in three days that Palestinians were killed close to the site.

The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza, which has been run by Hamas since 2007, said Tuesday morning that at least 27 people were killed, with more than 161 injured, as they waited for aid at a designated site in the area of what is known as the “Al-Alam” roundabout in the southern city of Rafah.

NBC News was not immediately able to verify those figures. The World Health Organization has previously said it considers the health ministry's data to be reliable.

The Israeli military said its troops had fired what it described as “warning fire” at a number of people about half a kilometer, or 0.3 miles, away from an aid distribution site — and that it was aware of reports of casualties and was looking into the matter.