Palestinian health officials and witnesses say Israeli forces fired on people as they headed toward an aid distribution site Tuesday, killing at least 27, in the third such incident in three days.

The Palestinians were shot and scores wounded as huge crowds assembled to try and get food from a new aid distribution center. An Israeli military official said soldiers fired warning shots.

At least 24 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, local health authorities said, in the latest bout of chaos and bloodshed to plague the aid operation.