US Contractors Shoot Live Rounds at Palestinians at Gaza Aid Sites
By Staff, Agencies
Two American security contractors working for the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation [GHF]—a US and “Israel”-run aid group staffed largely by private American contractors—have come forward accusing their colleagues of firing live ammunition and throwing stun grenades at desperate Palestinians trying to access food aid.
The contractors described the security personnel as often unqualified, unvetted, heavily armed and operating with near-total impunity.
Since the GHF began managing aid distribution at just four heavily militarized sites in Gaza, more than 600 Palestinians have been martyred and over 4,000 injured while waiting in line for basic necessities, according to the Gaza Government Media Office.
Eyewitness reports from contractors reveal disturbing scenes of violence: stun grenades lobbed into crowds, pepper spray used against unarmed civilians, and live bullets fired indiscriminately—sometimes directly at Palestinians.
Footage obtained by the AP includes sounds of gunfire while hundreds of Palestinians were packed behind metal gates. Contractors captured videos of their colleagues celebrating after shooting at aid seekers, with one shouting “Hell, yeah, boy!” after firing in the direction of civilians. Another whistleblower reported that GHF team leaders call starving Palestinians “zombie hordes,” treating them with utter disregard and dehumanization.
The GHF has denied all allegations, claiming the gunfire originated from the “Israeli” Occupation Forces [IOF] outside the aid sites and that no civilians were targeted or harmed by their staff. Yet, the reality on the ground tells a different story.
Reports from “Israeli” soldiers confirm orders from commanders to use live fire against unarmed Palestinians waiting for aid, describing the area as a “killing field” where crowds are treated as hostile forces with no crowd-control measures—only deadly force.
One soldier revealed that between one and five Palestinians were martyred daily, with heavy machine guns, grenade launchers and mortars used routinely. Tank operators admitted that firing shells into civilian areas had become “standard practice,” with commanders offering no justification for the bloodshed.
The “Israeli” Military Advocate General has opened an investigation into potential war crimes linked to these killings. Meanwhile, “Israeli” officials, including Prime Minister Netanyahu and War Minister Katz, have vehemently denied the allegations, dismissing them as “blood libels.”
Human rights organizations have condemned the GHF and “Israeli” policies, accusing them of deliberately using starvation and violent aid distribution tactics to commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Amnesty International’s latest report describes the aid hubs as deadly traps where Palestinians face hunger, disease, and lethal force while seeking help.
“This devastating daily loss of life as desperate Palestinians try to collect aid is the consequence of their deliberate targeting by ‘Israeli’ forces and the foreseeable consequence of irresponsible and lethal methods of distribution,” said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty’s secretary general.
“Israeli” officials have dismissed Amnesty’s report as propaganda aligned with Hamas and pointed to the limited aid trucks allowed into Gaza since May as proof of their cooperation. However, humanitarian groups say the volume of aid is nowhere near enough to meet the urgent needs of Gaza’s population.
The GHF itself faces growing international condemnation. More than 165 major charities and NGOs have called for its immediate shutdown, citing violations of humanitarian principles and accusations that the group allows “Israel” to weaponize food against Palestinians.
The foundation is led by an evangelical figure closely allied with US President Donald Trump. Despite the controversy, the US government recently pledged $30 million in funding to the GHF—its first known donation—raising serious questions about American complicity in the ongoing human rights abuses and suffering in Gaza.
This troubling revelation exposes a brutal system of US and “Israeli” violence and control that turns humanitarian aid into a tool of oppression, inflicting misery on an already devastated Palestinian population.
