American contractors employed by the Israeli government to guard aid centers in Gaza are reportedly using live ammunition and stun grenades against Palestinians, who are desperately trying to access food. Despite these allegations, the organization involved, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), has strongly dismissed them as “categorically false”.
The GHF was established in February to deliver essential aid to the besieged enclave but has faced heavy criticism and scrutiny from international aid groups. Sky News previously reported that the organization’s operations are linked to a significant increase in deaths.
These claims by AP, which Sky News has not been able to verify, come from GHF contractors who spoke anonymously, revealing their employer’s internal operations. They shared their concerns about what they saw as dangerous security tactics by heavily armed staff.
Footage provided to the AP shows Palestinians scrambling for aid. Pic: AP
GHF contractors stepped forward to report regular use of stun grenades and pepper spray against Palestinians, and accounts of firing bullets “in all directions”, with at least one instance where a contractor believed someone had been hit. They expressed distress about the harm to innocent people.
Videos provided show individuals scrambling for aid amidst gunfire and stun grenades fired towards crowds at distribution sites located in areas controlled by the Israeli military.
Footage provided to AP shows tear gas deployment at an aid distribution site in Gaza. Pic: AP
“Innocent people are being hurt. Badly. Needlessly,” one contractor told AP.
According to Hamas’s Gaza Health Ministry and witness accounts, hundreds of people have been killed and injured since GHF operations began, with Palestinians claiming Israeli troops fire daily at crowds seeking aid. Israel’s military denies targeting civilians and says it’s trying to improve safety around aid centers.
GHF has vehemently denied the contractors’ allegations, maintaining they have investigated the claims and found no evidence of civilians being under fire at their sites. They also mentioned that the AP did not share the full videos with them.
Safe Reach Solutions, a logistics company hired by GHF, admits to rare instances of security professionals firing live rounds into the ground, away from civilians, for crowd control at the beginning of their operations when tensions were high.
