'Armed Palestinians', not army, fired on Gaza crowd awaiting aid: Israel

Israel rejected claims by the Hamas-ruled territory's health ministry that Israeli soldiers were responsible.

The Israeli army said Friday that "armed Palestinians" opened fire on civilians awaiting humanitarian aid in northern Gaza, rejecting claims by the Hamas-ruled territory's health ministry that Israeli soldiers were responsible.

Palestinians use a donkey-pulled cart to transport the body of a relative killed in Israeli bombardment (AFP)

"Armed Palestinians opened fire while Gazan civilians were awaiting the arrival of the aid convoy" in Gaza City on Thursday and then "continued to shoot as the crowd of Gazans began looting the trucks", the army said in a statement.