The Israeli military has claimed soldiers did not fire at civilians at an aid distribution point in the Gaza Strip the day before, after a United Nations official reported numerous gunshot wounds.

“We are checking information from the UN. At the time we are speaking, we have no information on this matter,” military spokesman Colonel Olivier Rafowicz told AFP, referring to the wounded civilians.

Israeli soldiers “fired warning shots into the air, in the area outside” the centre managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), he said, adding that “in no case (did they fire) towards the people”.

Rafowicz added that “Hamas is doing everything to prevent humanitarian aid”.