The Red Cross says at least 21 people were killed and dozens were shot in the Gaza aid incident

Following controversial reports of incidents near the Aid Distribution Centre in Southern Rafa, he said “influx of mass casualties” of people with gunshot wounds and rap shotguns were received at Red Crossfield Hospital in southern Gaza.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said 21 people were declared “dead on arrival” and women and children were among the 179 cases.

The organization's statement comes after the Hamaslan Civil Defense Agency in Gaza stated that at least 31 people had been killed and there were more injuries in the incident.

However, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said findings from the initial investigation showed that the troops were not firing while they were near or inside the aid centre.

IDF also released drone footage showing an armed, masked man throwing stones and shooting civilians dead while gathering aid in nearby Khan Yunis city. The BBC was unable to check the footage immediately.

Israel has not allowed international press agencies, including the BBC, to enter Gaza, and is checking what is happening on the territory.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the group that runs the Aid Distribution Center, also denied the injuries and victims' allegations on the site, saying it was spread by Hamas.

On Sunday evening, ground conditions remained unknown.

In its statement, ICRC said “Rafa Red Cross Field Hospital received a massive influx of 179 victims, including women and children.”

“The majority had gunshot wounds or rap shotguns,” he said, “21 patients were declared dead upon arrival.” It is unclear whether the number of people reported by the ICRC is divided into reports from Hamas Ministry of Health.

“All patients said they were trying to reach the aid distribution site,” the ICRC said.

The ICRC said it was “the number of armed and armed in a single incident since the field hospital was established over a year ago,” and “far more than” the capacity of the 60-bed facility.

In a statement, the IDF said: “More recently, false reports have been spreading, including serious fire allegations against Gazan residents at the Gaza Strip's humanitarian distribution site.

“Results from the original investigation show that the IDF did not fire civilians while near or inside the humanitarian distribution site, indicating that reports of this effect are false,” he added.

Another incident is said to have occurred near another aid centre in the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, reporting that a Palestinian red crescent moon was injured.

The BBC said it had received about 200 people who were contacted by doctors at Nasser Hospital and suffered injuries caused by bullets and rap shotguns.

Local journalists and activists shared footage of the bodies and injured people being transported in Donkey Carts to Red Crossfield Hospital in the Almawasi area.

The BBC looked at footage of the bodies being transported by cart and taken to Nasser Hospital at the back of the truck.

Gaza's health ministry said more than 200 hospitals have arrived at the hospital, including 31 deaths.

According to the emergency department, 79 of the injured were taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, medical staff at British Charity Medical Aid for Palestinians reported.

“Those who were killed and injured were “mainly hit by live shootings, with many victims still holding shots directly on their heads or chests,” charity staff said.

Victoria Rose, a British surgeon who worked at Nasser Hospital, recorded a video in the morning, moving into the bed with her patient behind her, saying, “Every bay is full, all gunshots are injured.”

GHF, which distributes assistance at these sites, rejected incidents that occurred near the distribution centre.

Rafa's IDF soldiers contacted the BBC and said that Israeli soldiers fired near the crowd but they were not and no one was hit.

Rafa journalist Mohammed Galive told the BBC that Palestinians gathered near a GHF-run aid centre when Israeli tanks approached and fired on the crowd.

Ghareeb said the Palestinian crowd was near Al-Alam's roundabout around 04:30 local time (02:30 BST), near the GHF-run aid centre, just before Israeli tanks appeared and fired.

“The dead and injured lay on the ground for a long time,” he said.

“Rescue personnel were unable to access areas under Israeli control, which forced residents to use donkey carts to transport victims to outdoor hospitals.”

Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for Gaza's main emergency service, Civil Defense, told AFP news agency that more than 100 people were injured “due to shootings from Israeli vehicles on thousands of civilians.”

The incident underscores the dire humanitarian conditions of Rafa, where recent Israeli military operations have severely restricted access to aid and emergency services.

On Saturday, crowds rushed to Gaza's aid truck, the world's food programme said as hunger and despair created a chaotic scene.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is a new US- and Israeli-supported organization that distributes food at designated sites across Gaza. Israel set up a plan after accusing Hamas of stealing aid.

The GHF said it distributed 4.7 million meals this week, but the BBC could not independently verify them.

In response to the cross-border attack in Hamas on October 7, 2023, a military campaign was launched by Israel in Gaza, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

At least 54,418 people were killed in Gaza during the war, according to the Ministry of Health of the Territories.