At least 19 Palestinians were killed and 23 others wounded in an Israeli shelling of a gathering of Palestinians awaiting food aid south of the city of Gaza, Hamas said Saturday, while Israel denies the claim.

Hamas announced in a press statement that the Palestinians were killed and wounded by Israeli forces while awaiting aid at the Kuwait Roundabout in the Zaytoun neighborhood.

However, the Israeli army refuted the accusation, adding that "preliminary findings have determined that there was no aerial strike, nor were there incidents found of forces firing at the people."

The Gaza Strip, home to about 2.35 million people, is grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis exacerbated by relentless Israeli assaults and siege since Oct. 7, 2023. International bodies have issued warnings of a famine in the coastal enclave.