A U.S. and Israeli-backed humanitarian aid effort for Gaza says it's started distributing desperately needed food. The U.N. calls it a "distraction from what is actually needed."

Israeli soldiers fired live ammo in bid to maintain control at the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation facility.

Thousands of Palestinians rushed into a new aid distribution centre run by a US-backed group in southern Gaza Tuesday, leading to chaotic scenes as Israel implemented a

MUWASI, Gaza Strip (AP) — Chaos erupted on the second day of aid operations by a new U.S.-backed group in Gaza as desperate Palestinians overwhelmed a center distributing food on Tuesday, breaking through fences. Nearby Israeli troops fired warning shots, sending people fleeing in panic.

Crowds including women and children could be seen at one centre in Rafah, southern Gaza. But many people stayed away amid fears over Israel's plan to use biometric screening procedures.

Pope Leo XIV says the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, "the heartbreaking price of which is paid by children, the elderly, the sick," must end and food must be allowed in.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu faces growing criticism from key allies. While support remains, statements from the US and Europe signal a shift in tone and a more complex diplomatic landscape.

The comments come as the Israeli army is expanding its fighting in Gaza in order to, it says, take control of the vast majority of the Palestinian enclave where it has been at war since Hamas