GAZA, June 8 (Xinhua) -- At least five Palestinians were killed and more than 100 wounded by Israeli gunfire on Saturday near two aid distribution points in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, citing health officials and witnesses.

The shooting occurred around 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) as large crowds gathered near a food distribution center run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in the southern city of Rafah. The site, set up with support from both Israel and the United States, was scheduled to open Saturday morning.

Four bodies were later taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, according to hospital staff. Witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire near a roundabout roughly 1 km from the GHF aid site. Another Palestinian was reported killed near a separate distribution point in central Gaza.

The Israeli military said its forces had fired warning shots at "suspects" who approached troops and ignored repeated calls to retreat. It described the area as part of an active combat zone during nighttime hours.

Saturday's incident is the latest in a series of fatal episodes near aid sites in Gaza, where food insecurity has grown acute amid the ongoing conflict. Israeli authorities have previously accused Hamas, the Islamist group that governs Gaza, of disrupting aid deliveries and attempting to seize supplies.

"We operate nearby and do whatever is necessary to ensure the aid does not fall into the hands of Hamas," the Israeli military said in a June statement following earlier incidents.

The GHF, a U.S.-based organization operating outside the framework of the United Nations and major humanitarian groups, said in a Facebook post that it had distributed aid in central and southern Gaza on Sunday, but none on Saturday.

The group blamed threats from Hamas for its suspension of operations on Saturday, an accusation the Gaza-ruling group has denied.

GHF employs private American military contractors to manage its sites and has faced criticism from the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies over "lack of neutrality." Palestinian officials have described the aid group as part of an Israeli plan to solidify control in Gaza and marginalize the role of the UN and other international humanitarian agencies. ■