The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at people it referred to as suspects who it said had advanced toward its troops hundreds of yards from the aid site prior to its opening hours.

Israel’s blockade of Gaza may have been partially lifted – and a new US-backed plan to deliver aid has begun. But there are multiple indications that the plight of Gazans is rapidly worsening.

At least 36 Palestinians were killed while attempting to get aid in southern Gaza on Tuesday, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.

With the Gaza death toll rising and entire families obliterated as Israeli forces seek to strike diminishing numbers of Hamas targets, more impassioned appeals for an end to the violence have come from ecclesial and political leaders from around the world.

The Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said the threats had made it “impossible to proceed” with food distribution. Hamas denied the accusation and accused the group of lacking neutrality.

The company helped design and run a controversial Israeli-backed group that supplanted the work of the United Nations to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip.

As Palestinians across the war-ravaged Gaza Strip marked the start of Eid al-Adha, Israeli forces continued military operations.

Hundreds of activists are marching the length of the Gaza Strip to protest and raise funds for Palestinian aid. The 25-mile walk began in Lurgan town on Saturday morning and will end in Omeath village,