Twenty people died this morning during riots at an aid distribution point in the Gaza Strip, the Humanitarian Foundation for Gaza (HFG) said, DPA reported, BTA reported.
In a statement, the private foundation, supported by the US and Israel, said that 19 of the victims were trampled to death and one person was fatally stabbed.
"We have reasonable grounds to believe that people in the crowd – armed and with ties to "Hamas" deliberately provoked the unrest," the Foundation said, noting that the incident took place at an aid distribution center in the southern city of Khan Yunis.
HFG employees say they saw firearms among the crowd, with one American employee being threatened with a weapon by a person in the crowd.
HFG's version has not yet been independently verified, and the Palestinian Islamist organization "Hamas" has not commented.
The foundation, which began operations in late May with the support of Israel and the United States, is currently overseeing food distribution in the Gaza Strip after months of Israeli blockades on aid deliveries.
However, the HFG has come under heavy criticism from the United Nations and aid organizations, who say it operates too few aid distribution points, leading to chaos around them and putting civilians at serious risk.
In recent weeks, there have been repeated reports of fatalities near aid distribution points. While the Israeli military is often accused of opening fire in such cases, the current tragic incident is not related to hostilities.
According to the United Nations, hundreds of people have died at or near HFG-run points since the foundation began operating.