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DEIR AL-BALAH: At least one Palestinian was killed and 48 others wounded when forces opened fire on a crowd overrunning a new aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip set up by an Israeli and

U.S.-backed foundation, Gaza's Health Ministry said Wednesday.

Crowds of Palestinians broke through the fences around the distribution site on Tuesday, and an Associated Press journalist heard Israeli tank and gun fire, and saw a military helicopter

firing flares.

It was not yet known whether the death and injuries were caused by Israeli forces, private contractors or others. The foundation said its military contractors had not fired on the crowd but

“fell back” before resuming aid operations. Israel said its troops nearby had fired warning shots.

Ajith Sunghay, head of the U.N. Human Rights Office for the Palestinian territories, had earlier told reporters in Geneva that 47 people were wounded, mostly by gunfire.

In a separate development, Israel carried out airstrikes Wednesday on the international airport in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, destroying the last plane belonging to the country's flagship

carrier. The strikes came after Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired several missiles at Israel in recent days, without causing casualties.

The Israeli military said it destroyed aircraft used by the rebels. It was not immediately clear if anyone was killed or wounded in the strikes.

The distribution hub outside Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah was opened the day before by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been slated by Israel to take over aid operations.

The U.N. and other humanitarian organizations have rejected the new system, saying it won’t be able to meet the needs of Gaza’s 2.3 million people and allows Israel to use food as a weapon

to control the population. They have also warned of the risk of friction between Israeli troops and people seeking supplies.

Palestinians have become desperate for food after nearly three months of Israeli border closures pushed Gaza to the brink of famine.

Israel says it helped establish the new aid mechanism to prevent Hamas from siphoning off supplies, but it has provided no evidence of systematic diversion and U.N. agencies say they have

mechanisms in place to prevent it.

GHF says it has established four hubs, two of which have begun operating. They are guarded by private security contractors and have chain-link fences channeling Palestinians into a what

resemble military bases surrounded by large sand berms.

Israeli forces are stationed nearby in what Israel refers to as the Morag corridor, a military zone separating the southern city of Rafah — which is now mostly uninhabited — from the rest of

the territory.

The U.N. and other humanitarian groups have refused to participate in GHF’s system, saying it violates humanitarian principles. They say it can be used by Israel to forcibly displace the

population by requiring them to move near the few distribution hubs or else face starvation, a violation of international law.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that “there was some loss of control momentarily” at the distribution point, adding that "happily, we brought it under control.”

He repeated that Israel plans to move Gaza’s entire population to a “sterile zone” at the southern end of the territory while troops fight Hamas elsewhere.

Throughout the war, the U.N. and other aid groups have conducted a massive operation distributing food, medicine and other supplies to wherever Palestinians are located. Israel says GHF will

replace that network, but the past week has allowed a trickle of aid to enter Gaza for the U.N. to distribute.

The Israeli strikes on the main airport in Yemen destroyed the last plane belonging to the country’s flagship carrier Yemenia, according to the airport.

Yemenia had a total of four aircraft registered, according to the plane tracking website FlightRadar24. Israel destroyed three of the planes in a May 6 airstrike on the airport, which also

riddled the runway with craters.

Footage released by the airport on Wednesday showed a smoking Yemenia plane shorn in half with debris cluttering the runway.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the strikes on Wednesday destroyed the last plane used by the Houthis.

The Houthis have targeted Israel throughout the war in Gaza in solidarity with Palestinians, raising their profile at home and internationally as the last member of Iran’s self-described

“Axis of Resistance” capable of launching regular attacks on Israel.

The Houthi missiles have mostly been intercepted, although some have penetrated Israel’s missile defense systems, causing casualties and damage. Israel has frequently struck back against the

rebels in Yemen, especially around the vital Hodeida port.

Netanyahu said that Israel would continue to strike as long as the Houthis continued launching missiles towards Israel. “Whoever doesn’t understand it by force — will understand it by more

force,” he said.

The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Hamas still holds 58 hostages,

around a third of them believed to be alive. Most of the rest were released in ceasefire deals or other agreements. Israeli forces have rescued eight and recovered dozens of bodies.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It says women and children make up most of the dead but does not distinguish between

civilians and combatants in its tally.