Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that a recent airstrike killed Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas’ elusive de facto leader in Gaza, the latest in a string of assassinations that have dealt a serious blow to the group’s top brass but are yet to break its grip on power.

The strike on the school in Gaza City's Daraj neighborhood also wounded dozens of people, an emergency official said. A separate strike on a home in Jabaliya in northern Gaza killed 16 members of a family.

A U.S.-backed foundation tasked with supplying aid to Gaza said it began operations on Monday, delivering truckloads of food to designated distribution sites following uncertainty about whether any assistance had reached civilians.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country killed senior Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar, apparently confirming his death in a recent airstrike in Gaza.

Chaos broke out at an aid distribution site in Gaza run by a controversial US-backed group on Tuesday as thousands of desperate Palestinians rushed to receive food supplies, with Israeli troops firing warning shots into the air and the US contractors overseeing the site briefly withdrawing.

However, more than 400 loads were on the Gazan side of the Kerem Shalom crossing awaiting distribution by the UN as of Tuesday evening, according to the Israeli military body in charge of aid co-ordination, Cogat. It called on the UN to "do its job".

Israeli soldiers fired live ammo in a bid to maintain control at the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation facility.

The distribution hub outside Gaza’s southernmost city had been opened the day before by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, chosen by Israel and backed by the US, lost control of an aid distribution centre as it was overrun by Palestinians.View on euronews