The Israeli military carried out a drone strike targeting “several armed Palestinians” in central Gaza, The Times of Israel reports, citing an unnamed Israeli military source.

The source said some of those hit were “Hamas operatives, who were spotted next to humanitarian aid trucks”.

However, Gaza’s Government Media Office has confirmed six people were killed by Israeli air strikes in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, but denied the men were members of Hamas, Al Jazeera stated, citing Anadolu Agency and Middle East Monitor.

In a statement, the office said they were “aid security and protection teams … who were performing purely humanitarian tasks”.

The statement continued that the men were “securing two trucks carrying vital medicines and medical supplies for the health sector, to ensure their delivery to hospitals in devastated areas”.

It added that Israel “targeting them is a full-fledged crime”.