Israeli forces killed at least 74 people in Gaza on Monday, witnesses and health officials said. Air strikes left 30 dead at a seaside cafe and gunfire killed 23 others as Palestinians tried to get desperately-needed food, witnesses and health officials said.

At least 18 Palestinians have been killed after an Israeli drone strike targeted a Hamas police unit attempting to assert control over a market in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, a doctor and eyewitnesses told the BBC.

The strike was the latest violence surrounding the distribution of food to Gaza's population, which has been thrown into turmoil over the past month. After blocking all food for 2 1/2 months, Israel has allowed only a trickle of supplies into the territory since mid-May.