India expresses 'deep shock' over Israeli soldiers killing civilians at Gaza aid distribution point

"We are deeply shocked at the loss of lives in Northern Gaza yesterday during the delivery of humanitarian assistance," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

On Friday, Israeli troops allegedly opened fire on Palestinians waiting for aid near Gaza City, killing 112 people and wounding over 700 others.

MEA said, "Such loss of civilian lives and the larger humanitarian situation in Gaza continue to be a cause for extreme concern."

"We reiterate our call for the safe and timely delivery of humanitarian aid and assistance," it further added.

Israeli sources confirmed to media that troops shot at the crowd, believing they "posed a threat", in Gaza City's north.

The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza had condemned the attack and called it a "massacre".

A witness told AFP that the violence unfolded when thousands of people, desperate for food, rushed towards aid trucks at the city's western Nabulsi roundabout.

The soldiers reportedly fired at the crowd when the people came too close to the tanks.

Gaza continues to face a desperate humanitarian situation nearly five months following the war started by Hamas's unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7.