Israel is facing growing international pressure as aid distribution efforts in Gaza devolved into chaos during the first days of a controversial new mechanism backed by the United States and Israel.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started distributing aid this week, but it was off to a rough start as desperate Palestinians scrambled to get food after weeks of delays. The group denies any reports of violence and says it will push forward with opening more distribution points in the strip.

Israel is blocking all but a trickle of humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said, with almost no ready-to-eat food entering what its spokesperson described as "the hungriest place on earth".