For the third day in a row, the Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday that troops opened fire on Palestinian suspects who approached them around 500 meters (550 yards) from a humanitarian aid distribution site in the Rafah area of southern Gaza.

Health officials in the Hamas-run Strip reported 27 dead and dozens wounded in the incident. The tolls could not be verified. Media outlets in Gaza also reported, without confirmation, that Gazan hospitals had received several people killed or injured by gunfire while waiting for humanitarian aid.

According to the IDF, while crowds of Palestinians were making their way to the aid distribution site in Rafah via organized routes, troops spotted several suspects approaching who were not on the pre-approved path, around half a kilometer (0.3 miles) from the aid complex.

“The forces fired warning shots, and after they did not disperse, additional fire was carried out next to several suspects who approached the forces,” the military said.

The Red Cross announced that 184 patients had arrived at a field hospital it operates in the Rafah area, some without vital signs. Twenty-seven were pronounced dead, and 35 others required immediate medical treatment.

The IDF said it was aware of the reports of casualties and was investigating the incident.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the US- and Israel-backed body in charge of the aid distribution, said aid at the Rafah site was handed out without incident.

In a statement Tuesday morning, GHF said it handed out “21 truckloads of food this morning, totaling 20,160 boxes.”

“We understand that IDF is investigating whether a number of civilians were injured after moving beyond the designated safe corridor and into a closed military zone,” GHF said.

“This was an area well beyond our secure distribution site and operations area. We recognize the difficult nature of the situation and advise all civilians to remain in the safe corridor when traveling to our distribution sites.”

The IDF said that it was allowing GHF to operate “independently to distribute aid to Gaza residents and prevent it from reaching the Hamas terror organization.”

“IDF troops do not prevent the arrival of Gaza residents to the distribution sites. The shooting was carried out about half a kilometer from the distribution site, toward individual suspects approaching the forces in a manner that threatened them,” the military said.

The claims on Tuesday came after two days of similar reports out of Rafah, with 31 people reported killed early Sunday and three more on Monday, according to Hamas, eyewitnesses and aid groups.

The Israeli military has denied targeting civilians gathering for aid and called reports of deaths during Sunday’s distribution “fabrications” by Hamas.

A military official acknowledged that warning shots were fired at individuals about a kilometer away from a distribution site early Sunday and again on Monday.

According to the Red Cross, 179 people wounded by gunfire and shrapnel were brought to a field hospital it operates in Rafah Sunday morning, and 50 more on Monday morning.

In its eight days of operation so far, GHF says, it has distributed 7 million meals at three distribution sites in southern and central Gaza.

Its meals are boxes of dry food products that require cooking equipment or community kitchens, which are very limited throughout the Strip after nearly 20 months of devastating conflict.

AP contributed to this report.