Satellite images show Israel is preparing a range of locations in Gaza that can be used as a hub for humanitarian aid distribution in a controversial new plan.

The Israeli government suspended delivery of food and medicine to Gaza in March.

Ministers said the move was condemned by leaders of the United Nations, Europe and the Middle East, aiming to put pressure on Hamas to release its remaining hostages. Israel also accused Hamas of stealing aid - an allegation the group denied.

The UN has said the lockdown has resulted in severe shortages of food, drugs and fuel, and an assessment on Monday warned that Gaza's population was at a "risk risk" of famine.

The U.S. confirmed last week that it is preparing a new system to provide assistance to a range of hubs in Gaza that will be operated by private companies and protected by security contractors and Israeli forces.

Images from the BBC validation analysis show that the land has been cleared, with new roads and staging areas being built in many sites in the southern and central Gaza in recent weeks.

Israel has not disclosed the location of the hub yet, but humanitarian sources - Israeli officials have previously briefed among Israeli officials - told the BBC that at least four centers will be built in the southern part of Gaza, near the Netzarim Corridor in the south of Gaza, another north, a land controlled by troops that effectively divide the territory.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (an organization supporting the program) initially said it would provide food, water and sanitation kits, offering them to 1.2 million people, less than 60% of the population.

On Wednesday, it announced it would start operations by the end of May and appears to call on Israel to allow assistance through ordinary channels until its distribution centers are fully operational. It also calls for the construction of an aid hub in northern Gaza, envisioned under the original plan.

UN agencies insist that they will not work with the program - which is consistent with a plan previously approved by the Israeli government - saying it contradicts basic humanitarian principles.

A spokesperson for the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) accused Israel of seeking to use “food and fuel as leverage as part of its military strategy.”

"All aid will be guided through some military hubs," Olga Cherevko told BBC Verify.

“This arrangement would cut the vast area of ​​Gaza, especially the most vulnerable, to be able to move easily or otherwise marginalize – nothing helps at all.”

Meanwhile, Oxfam’s Bushra Khalidi described the new plan as a “farce”.

"There is no logistical solution that will address Israel's forced displacement and use hunger as a weapon of war. Raise the siege, open the crossroads, and let us do our work."

It is understood that the proposed new regime has not yet been finalized by the Israeli government.

The satellite images used by the BBC verification identify four potential sites based on limited information available about their location.

The sites are sized, shape and design similar to existing open-air distribution sites in Gaza, such as in Erez, Erez West and Kisufim. The largest website we studied is larger - more comparable to the Gaza region of Kerem Shalom Crossing.

Our analysis of the images shows a significant development of a site in Southwest Gaza, near the ruins of a village now at the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) base.

Satellite photos since early April show a road there and a large stage area surrounded by pores - large defensive obstacles made of piles of sand - about 6.5 billion (2,130 feet) from the border with Egypt.

High-resolution images captured on May 8 show bulldozers and excavators working on a portion of land spanning 20 acres (8 hectares). IDF armored vehicles are in a nearby fortified building.

Photos taken on the site where the BBC verified the geographic location also show lighting installed on the perimeter.

Further images from May 11 to 12 show that this, along with three other sites, are continuing to expand. One location is about half a kilometer away from the collection of eight United Nations warehouses, while the other large warehouse is 280m.

Stu Ray, senior image analyst at McKenzie Intelligence, agreed that the sites could be safe distribution centers. He pointed out that some facilities "are closely related to the IDF's forward operating base, which is related to the IDF and hope to have some control over the website."

Analysts at Maiar, another intelligence firm, said the facilities appear to have designed separate entrances for trucks to enter and exit, and other gaps in the berth are suitable for pedestrian entrances.

The IDF did not comment on the potential aid center when the BBC verified it, but said its operations in Gaza were "compliant with international law". Kogat - The Israeli agency responsible for cross-management across Gaza did not respond to a request for comment.

Three of the four sites in the BBC verification location are located south of the newly created Morag corridor by IDF.

It is an Israeli military zone that spans the Gaza Strip, separating the southern cities of Khan Yunis and Rafah.

Since the IDF established a safe zone there in early April, a six-mile (10 km) road has been built, covering two-thirds of Gaza's width, bordering a defensive wall and dotted with IDF's outposts.

This new road leads directly to one of the development sites visible in the satellite imagery, while the existing road connects it to the other two.

The entire area has been extensively cleaned by IDF. The BBC verified videos and images of the entire Morag Morag Corridor that had been photographed by Israeli forces and showed controlled demolition through explosives and heavy machinery and extensive damage to buildings.

Humanitarian sources said the Israeli briefing indicated that aid would enter Gaza through Kerem Shalom Crossing.

Satellite images show construction work ongoing over the past few months, with significantly expanded storage areas and added new roads.

Since Israel stopped supply of new aid in March, the United Nations has reiterated that it has an obligation to ensure that the basic needs of the population it controls is met under international law.

Israel insists that it comply with international law and Gaza has no shortage of assistance.