KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — At least eight Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded Sunday in a shooting near Israeli- and U.S.-supported food distribution points in the Gaza Strip, according to health officials. Witnesses blamed the Israeli military, which did not immediately comment.

Witnesses said Israeli forces opened fire around dawn toward crowds of desperate Palestinians heading to two aid sites in Rafah.

Experts and aid workers say Israel’s monthslong blockade and military campaign have caused widespread hunger and raised the risk of famine in the population of over 2 million. The vast majority rely on international aid because the offensive has destroyed nearly all of Gaza’s capacity to produce food.

The war in Gaza rages more than 20 months after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, which sparked events that led to Israel’s surprise attack Friday on Iran.

The shooting happened close to the sites that are operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a group that Israel and the United States hope will replace a system of aid distribution run by the United Nations, which has rejected the initiative, saying it violates humanitarian principles.

There have been almost-daily shootings near the sites since they opened last month. Witnesses say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired on crowds, and health officials say scores have been killed. The military has acknowledged firing warning shots at what it says were suspects approaching its forces.

“There were wounded, dead and martyrs,” Ahmed al-Masri told The Associated Press on Sunday as he returned from one site empty-handed. “It’s a trap.”

Umm Hosni al-Najjar said she joined the crowd heading to the aid point in Rafah’s Tal al-Sultan neighborhood around 4:30 a.m. She said the shooting began as people were advancing to the site a few minutes after her arrival.

The Nasser Hospital in nearby Khan Younis said it received eight bodies after the shooting.

The aid system rolled out last month has been marred by chaos and violence, while the U.N. system has struggled to deliver food because of Israeli restrictions and a breakdown of law and order.

“A person dies next to you and you cannot carry him,” said Alaa Saqer, among those seeking aid. “If you wanted to carry him with your hands, you would return to your children without food. Life is death.”

Overall, the bodies of 65 people had been brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Sunday.