Now the primary vehicle for food distribution inside Gaza, the controversial U.S.- and Israeli-backed operation is an issue in ongoing ceasefire negotiations.

The UK and 27 other countries have called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, where they say the suffering of civilians has "reached new depths". A joint statement says Israel's aid delivery model is dangerous and condemns what it calls the "drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians" seeking food and water.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The U.N. food agency accused Israel of using tanks, snipers and other weapons to fire on a crowd of Palestinians seeking food aid, in what the territory’s Health Ministry said was one of the deadliest days for aid-seekers in over 21 months of war.