At least 27 Palestinians were killed near a Gaza food distribution hub operated by a controversial U.S.-backed group, the enclave's Hamas-run health ministry says.

Palestinians on their way to receive aid from a distribution site in southern Gaza have come under fire for a third consecutive day, with nearly 30 people killed and dozens wounded, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and Nasser hospital.

Palestinian health officials and witnesses say Israeli forces fired on people as they headed toward an aid distribution site Tuesday, killing at least 27, in the third such incident in three days.