DOZENS of Palestinians who were waiting for food aid in Gaza City have been killed or wounded after a group was shot at a main roundabout, according to a report.  

News outlet Al Jazeera reports that bodies were seen on the ground after the attack, with rescuers unable to reach them due to the danger of further Israeli strikes.

One witness told the publication that the Israeli army had shot at them when they “went to get flour”.

“There are many martyrs on the ground and we are still recovering until this moment. There is no first aid,” they said.

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Al Jazeera reports that at least 50 Palestinians were killed while waiting for food aid while the dead and wounded were taken to al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza.

In the past few days, Palestinians have gathered in large groups waiting for aid trucks as alarm has grown about hunger.

It comes as the US, Egypt and Qatar work to secure a ceasefire with hopes an agreement can be reached before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts on around March 10.

Israel’s assault on Gaza, which it says aims to destroy Hamas after its initial attack on October 7, has resulted in the death of more than 29,000 Palestinians.  

UN officials have warned of further mass casualties if Israel follows through on vows to attack the southernmost city of Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million has taken refuge.

They also say a Rafah offensive could collapse the aid operation that has already been crippled in the fighting.

Across Gaza, more than 576,000 people, a quarter of the population, are a step away from famine, the UN says.

But northern Gaza in particular has been gutted by hunger. The north has largely been cut off and much of it has been levelled since Israeli ground troops invaded in late October.

Several hundred thousand Palestinians are believed to remain there, and many have been reduced to eating animal fodder to survive.

The UN says one in six children under two in the north suffer from acute malnutrition and wasting.

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Elsewhere, Palestinians also spoke to Al Jazeera about their own hopes for a ceasefire with one man, named Abed, saying: “I hope and I wish for a ceasefire. We have heard things during previous talks and negotiations that one might come, but we have been disappointed every time.

“People will always be the victims. It’s the people here who are really suffering. They have no more energy. Ramadan is approaching and we ask god to make our life easier and better. Enough is enough.”