Dr Nick Maynard, a British surgeon who has recently returned from Gaza, said that hospital colleagues first raised the alarm when what appeared to be a “pattern” emerged of “clusters” of similar injuries on the same days from controversial aid distribution sites.

Israel will coordinate airdrops of aid into Gaza from foreign countries in the coming days, an Israeli security official confirmed to ABC News.

At least 85 Palestinians were killed while seeking aid in one of the deadliest days for aid-seekers since the war began, Gaza's Health Ministry said.

Witnesses and Gaza hospital officials say Israeli troops have killed at least 32 Palestinians near aid distribution hubs in the latest deadly violence involving people seeking desperately needed food.

DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip — At least 31 Palestinians were fatally shot on their way to an aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, while Israeli airstrikes killed at least 28 Palestinians including four children, Palestinian hospital officials and witnesses said.

The UN agency for Palestinians says it has thousands of truckloads of supplies near Gaza which it wants to deliver.

IDF soldiers are shooting Palestinians at aid points "almost like a game of target practice", a British surgeon who recently returned from Gaza has claimed.

It marks the latest setback in efforts to secure a deal that would bring a ceasefire to Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.