A US- and Israeli-backed group operating aid sites in Gaza shut its facilities Wednesday, as the Israeli army warned that roads leading to distribution centres were "considered combat zones".
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's move followed a string of deadly incidents near distribution sites it operates that drew sharp condemnation from the United Nations.
Israeli bombardment Wednesday killed at least 16 people in Gaza, including 12 in a single strike on a tent sheltering displaced people, the civil defence agency said.
A day earlier, 27 people were killed when Israeli troops opened fire near a GHF site in southern Gaza. The military said the incident was under investigation.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said at least 4,335 people have been killed since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,607, mostly civilians.
Britain called for an "immediate and independent investigation", echoing a demand from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Israel recently eased its blockade of Gaza, but the United Nations says the territory's entire population remains at risk of famine.
The GHF said its "distribution centres will be closed for renovation, reorganisation and efficiency improvement work" and would resume operations Thursday.
The Israeli army warned against travelling "on roads leading to the distribution centres, which are considered combat zones".
The GHF, officially a private effort with opaque funding, began operations a week ago. The UN and major aid groups have declined to work with it, citing concerns it serves Israeli military goals.
Israeli authorities and the GHF, which uses contracted US security, have denied allegations the army shot at civilians rushing to pick up aid packages.
Food shortages in Gaza have propelled fresh international calls for an end to the war, but a ceasefire agreement between Israel and resistance movement Hamas remains elusive.
The UN Security Council is expected to vote Wednesday on a resolution calling for a ceasefire and humanitarian access to Gaza -- a measure likely to be vetoed by the United States.
Scenes of hunger in Gaza have also sparked fresh solidarity with Palestinians, and a boat organised by an international activist coalition was sailing toward Gaza, aiming to deliver aid.
But Israel's military has said it is ready to "protect" the country's maritime space.
Palestinian children gather at a hot meal distribution point in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, on Wednesday. AFP
