Desperate Palestinians overrun controversial food distribution centre in Gaza | BBC News

Thousands of desperate Palestinians have overrun an aid distribution site in Gaza, which was set up by a controversial US and Israeli-backed group a day earlier.

Fences were torn down at the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's (GHF) compound in the southern city of Rafah. The group said that at one point its team fell back because the numbers seeking aid were so great. The Israeli military said troops nearby fired warning shots.

The GHF employs armed American security contractors and intends to bypass the United Nations as the main supplier of aid in Gaza. Experts there have warned of a looming famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade that has been partially-eased in recent days.

The UN, which has decades of experience in providing aid in Gaza, said the videos from Rafah were "heartbreaking”. It says it has a detailed plan to deliver enough aid to the "desperate population" of 2.1 million, if Israel permits it.

The UN and many aid groups have refused to co-operate with GHF's plans, which they say contradict humanitarian principles and appear to "weaponise aid". They have warned that the system will practically exclude those with mobility issues, force further displacement, expose thousands of people to harm, make aid conditional on political and military aims, and set an unacceptable precedent for aid delivery around the world.

Israel has said an alternative to the current aid system is needed to stop Hamas stealing aid, which the militant group denies doing.