U.S. Contractors Claim Live Ammunition Used Against Hungry Palestinians in Gaza
American contractors tasked with guarding food distribution centers in Gaza have reportedly used live ammunition and stun grenades against desperate Palestinians seeking aid, according to testimonies and videos reviewed by The Associated Press (AP).
Two U.S. contractors, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to concerns over revealing internal practices, expressed alarm over what they described as reckless and hazardous conduct. They claimed many of the security personnel employed were inadequately vetted, poorly trained, heavily armed, and operated with little oversight or accountability.
According to the contractors, security teams frequently used stun grenades and pepper spray against Palestinians. One recounted an incident in which gunfire was directed indiscriminately—into the air, the ground, and sometimes toward civilians—recalling at least one moment when he believed someone had been hit.
“Innocent people are getting seriously and unnecessarily hurt,” one contractor said.
He also claimed that American personnel at the aid sites surveil individuals arriving for food, flagging and documenting those deemed "suspicious," and pass that information to the Israeli military.
Footage provided by one of the contractors shows hundreds of Palestinians crammed behind metal barriers, pushing toward aid as gunfire cracks and stun grenades explode, with clouds of pepper spray in the air. Other clips capture English-speaking personnel discussing crowd control tactics and urging each other on after firing rounds.
These firsthand accounts—alongside videos, internal documents, and text exchanges obtained by the APoffer a rare look inside the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a newly formed and highly secretive U.S.-Israeli initiative to deliver aid in Gaza. The U.S. government recently committed $30 million in support—its first publicly known contribution to the group, whose other funding sources remain unclear.
Due to restrictions, journalists have been unable to access GHF sites, which lie within Israeli military-controlled zones. As such, the AP has not independently verified the contractors’ claims.
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