The UN Secretary-General called for an independent investigation into the killing of Palestinians near Gaza’s aid distribution center on Sunday, as controversial reports that Israeli forces opened fire.

Witnesses reported being shot dead while awaiting food at the Rafah Center of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) supported by the United States and Israel.

The Red Cross said its hospital suffered 179 casualties, including 21 deaths. The civil defense agency run by Hamas puts the death toll at 31 years old.

On Sunday, the Israeli military denied that its troops opened fire on civilians nearby or inside the site, saying reports on the impact were wrong.

The reports were "complete fabrication" and no evidence of attacks in or near its facilities has been seen yet, the GHF said.

Israel does not allow international news organizations, including the BBC, to enter Gaza, making it difficult to verify what is happening in the territory.

"I was shocked by reports of Palestinian deaths and injuries while seeking aid in Gaza yesterday.

“I call for an immediate and independent investigation into these incidents and the perpetrators.”

Israel's Foreign Ministry called his comment "shame" in an article on X and criticized him for not mentioning Hamas.

Civil Defense Agency said 31 people were killed early Sunday morning, "Israel shooting Israeli shooting targeted thousands of civilians near the U.S. aid center in Rafah," the Civil Defense Agency said.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Red Cross hospital in Rafah received a "massive influx of casualties" in 179 cases at the time, including women and children.

It said most people suffered gunshot wounds or shrapnel wounds, and 21 people declared dead on arrival, adding: "All patients said they have been trying to arrive at the aid allocation site".

Médecins Sansanières (Medals Without Borders) said his team at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis also treated people who were seriously injured, some of whom were in critical condition.

It added that the patient “reported Israeli drones, helicopters, ships, tanks and soldiers shooting from all sides” and that a brother of a staff member was killed while trying to collect aid from the distribution center.”

A reporter from Rafah told the BBC that a group of Palestinians gathered near the Al-Alam roundabout in Rafah, near the site of the GHF when Israeli tanks approached and opened fire.

A video posted online on Sunday morning appears to show Palestinians covering up covers on open areas of sandy terrain, which sounds like automatic gunfire. However, the BBC cannot verify the location because there are not enough features visible.

The IDF issued a statement Sunday afternoon saying that the initial investigation showed that its troops “had not opened fire on civilians near or within the humanitarian aid allocation site and that reports on the effect were false.”

Spokesman Brig Gen Effie Defrin accused Hamas of “spreading rumors” and “frankly and violently trying to prevent the Gaza people from reaching these distribution centers.”

The IDF also released a drone videotape, which showed that armed personnel fired fire at civilians on their way to collect assistance, although the BBC could not verify the time or when it was filmed.

Later on Sunday, an Israeli military official told reporters that soldiers took action to "prevent many suspects from approaching the troops" and then about 1 km from the GHF site.

"Warning the shooting was fired," the official said.

The reports “most shockingly in terms of being heavily fabricated and misleading are given to the international media community,” GHF said in a statement on Monday.

"No injuries, deaths or incidents were reported in our operations yesterday. We have not seen any evidence of an attack in our facilities or near us."

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee accused the major news media of "responsible and conseconsens conseconsent" about the matter.

"Drone videos and first-hand accounts clearly show that there are no injuries, no deaths, no shootings, no chaos," he said on Monday.

He added: “The only source of these misleading, exaggerated and completely fabricated stories comes from Hamas’ sources, designed to drive the flames of anti-Semitic hatred, which arguably contributes to the violence against Jews in the United States.”

Meanwhile, on Monday, health officials and local media reported three other Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire near the same GHF center in the Tal al-Sultan area of ​​Rafah.

A Red Cross spokesman told the Associated Press that it injured 50 people, mainly shootings and shrapnel wounds, including two people pronounced dead on arrival, while nearby Khan Younis said it received a third body.

The Israeli military said in a statement: "Warning the shootings were driving suspects about 1 km toward the site.

The military added, "Aware of the reports of casualties, the details of the incident are being thoroughly studied."

Also on Monday, the Civil Defense Report said 14 people, including six children and three women, were killed in a house in the northern Israeli town of Jabalia. It said it is believed that more than 20 were lost under the ruins of destroyed buildings.

The IDF did not comment immediately, but it said in a statement that over the past day, its aircraft had encountered dozens of targets throughout the Gaza region, including "a military structure belonging to terrorist organizations", underground tunnels and weapons stores.

Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza on March 2 and resumed its military offensive two weeks later, breaking a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. It said the steps were designed to put pressure on armed groups to release 58 hostages still held in Gaza, with at least 20 of them considered alive.

On May 19, the Israeli military launched an expanded offensive, and Benjamin Netanyahu said the troops would "control all areas of Gaza." He said the next day, Israel will also temporarily ease the lockdown and include "basic" food in Gaza.

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza on October 7, 2023 in response to Hamas' cross-border attacks, in which about 1,200 people were killed and another 251 were taken hostage.

According to the territory's Hamas-Operation Health Ministry, at least 54,470 people have been killed in Gaza since then, including 4,201 since Israel resumed its offensive.