At least 27 Palestinians were killed and 70 injured early Tuesday morning in an Israeli military attack near a United States-run aid distribution center in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The attack was near the “Science Zone” in Rafah’s Fajr governorate, the ministry said in a statement, which occurred around 4 a.m. local time, adding that casualties were transported to nearby hospitals, with some being “very serious cases.”

Tuesday’s attack mirrors another chaotic scene on Sunday in the same area, when the Israeli military fired on thousands of Palestinians waiting for aid near the same facility run by the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) — a privately owned, US-backed organization coordinating aid efforts in Gaza since May 26. At least 31 Palestinians were killed and over 200 were injured.

According to Mahmoud Basel, a spokesperson for the Palestinian enclave’s Civil Defense agency, Israeli quadcopters, tanks, and drones opened fire roughly 500 meters from the al-Alam Square roundabout — the same area hit two days earlier.

Eyewitnesses at the scene described chaos and panic as gunfire erupted while civilians waited for food aid.

Nadeem Zarab, a Palestinian journalist who spoke to the BBC, explained that people “began collapsing” in front of him and his uncle, adding that people were running to nearby walls “shielding” themselves from the incoming Israeli fire.

Niema al-Aaraj, a resident from Khan Younis, described to the Associated Press that the gunfire was “indiscriminate.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied targeting civilians, claiming instead in a statement that they had fired “near a few individual suspects” who reportedly did not comply with orders, according to the AP.

The attack drew sharp condemnation from United Nations leadership. Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, criticized at a press conference what he called Israel’s “militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism,” describing the conditions Palestinians face as “the grimmest of choices: die from starvation or risk being killed while trying to access the meager food that is being made available.”

Videos circulating online since May 26 appear to show chaotic scenes at GHF sites, including people running in all directions and large crowds squeezed inside fenced, cage-like structures while awaiting assistance.

The organization’s operations in Gaza have faced growing criticism for disorganized distribution and safety concerns. Several humanitarian agencies, including those under the UN have declined to work with the foundation, citing the danger to civilians.