New US-backed group says it has begun aid distribution in Gaza

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said lorry loads of food had been delivered to secure sites and that it had begun distribution to people. It did not say where or how much aid had been handed out.

The group, which uses armed American security contractors, aims to bypass the UN as the main supplier of aid to the 2.1 million Palestinians in Gaza, where experts are warning of a looming famine after an Israeli blockade that lasted 11 weeks.

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".