Balah in central Gaza on Monday, sparking a fire. No casualties were reported, as residents evacuated after receiving a warning ahead of the attack. (AP Video: Mohammad Jahjouh, production: Wafaa Shur

DEIR AL-B, Gaza Strip (AP) — At least 34 Palestinians were killed Monday in new shootings on the roads leading to Israeli- and U.S.-supported food distribution centers in the Gaza Strip, the local Health Ministry said.

World Health Organization officials said that it had received reports of a mass casualty incident on Tuesday that affected people waiting for food supplies, saying that initial reports point to at least 20 fatalities.

The war began when Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. More than half the captives have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight and recovered the remains of dozens more.

Telecommunication services in the war-torn Gaza Strip were disrupted on Thursday, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. Citing the Palestinian telecommunications authority, WAFA said the last remaining fibre-optic network was damaged in an attack,