The government in Gaza has said Israeli fire killed 19 people as they were waiting at an aid distribution point on Saturday, a charge Israel denied, AFP reports.

The deaths if confirmed would be the latest in a series of cases of Gazan civilians being killed while seeking desperately needed relief supplies.

The government media office said 19 people were killed and 23 wounded. The health ministry said “they were waiting for aid trucks at the Kuwait roundabout” when they were hit by “Israeli occupation army tank fire and shells”.

The Israeli army denied it had fired on the crowd. “The reports claiming that the (Israeli military) attacked dozens of Gazans at an aid convoy are incorrect,” an army statement said.

“Preliminary findings have determined that there was no aerial strike against the convoy, nor were there incidents found of (Israeli) forces firing at the people at the aid convoy.” AFPTV footage showed bloodied Gazans arriving at the crowded compound of Al-Ahli hospital, at least one of them transported by donkey cart.