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.