GAZA CITY — Gaza’s civil defence reported that Israeli forces shot and shelled a crowd waiting for aid in central Gaza early Tuesday, killing 21 people and injuring around 150.

Spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the victims were hit while gathering near a distribution site. Another five were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza City at dawn.

Over 450 Palestinians seeking aid have reportedly died from Israeli fire since late May, with nearly 3,500 injured, many near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites — a group aid agencies refuse to work with due to concerns over ties to Israeli military goals.

With famine looming and the Iran ceasefire announced, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid urged: “Now Gaza. Time to end it. Bring the hostages home.”