A former security contractor employed at aid distribution sites in Gaza, recently established with backing from Israel and the United States, has told the BBC of witnessing colleagues opening fire on unarmed and non-threatening Palestinians on multiple occasions, including with machine guns.
The contractor recounted one instance where a guard in a watchtower allegedly opened fire with a machine gun because a group consisting of women, children, and elderly individuals were not moving away from the site quickly enough.
In response to the allegations, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) stated that they were categorically false.
The GHF referred to a statement asserting that no civilians have ever been subjected to gunfire at their distribution sites.
The GHF began operations in Gaza at the end of May, distributing limited aid from several locations in the southern and central regions. This followed an 11-week blockade of Gaza by Israel, during which no food was permitted to enter the territory.
The distribution system has faced widespread criticism for compelling large numbers of people to traverse active combat zones to reach a limited number of distribution points. According to the UN and local medical professionals, Israeli forces have killed over 400 Palestinians attempting to collect food aid from GHF sites since the operation began. Israel maintains that the new distribution system prevents aid from reaching Hamas.
The former contractor further detailed an incident at one of the GHF sites, alleging that guards fired upon a group of Palestinians: “As that happened, another contractor on location, standing on the berm overlooking the exit, opened up with 15 to 20 shots of repetitive weapons fire at the crowd.”
“A Palestinian man dropped to the ground motionless. And then the other contractor who was standing there was like, ‘damn, I think you got one’. And then they laughed about it.”
The contractor, who requested anonymity, said that GHF management dismissed his report as a coincidence, suggesting the Palestinian man may have “tripped” or simply been “tired and passed out.”
The GHF claimed the individual making these allegations is a “disgruntled former contractor” who was terminated for misconduct, an assertion he denies. He provided payslips indicating continued payment for two weeks after his departure.
The contractor, who stated he worked at all four GHF distribution sites, described a culture of impunity with few regulations or oversight.
He stated that contractors were provided with no clear rules of engagement or standard operating procedures, and that one team leader instructed them: “If you feel threatened, shoot – shoot to kill and ask questions later.”
He characterized the company culture as suggesting, “We’re going into Gaza, so it’s no rules. Do what you want.”
“If a Palestinian is walking away from the site and not demonstrating any hostile intent, and we’re shooting warning shots at them regardless, we are wrong, we are criminally negligent,” he stated.
He further stated that each site was equipped with CCTV monitoring, and that the GHF’s insistence that no one had been hurt or shot at was “an absolute bare-faced lie.”
The GHF responded that gunfire audible in footage shared with the BBC originated from Israeli forces.
Team leaders referred to Gazans as “zombie hordes,” the former contractor said, “insinuating that these people have no value.”
The contractor also stated that Palestinians were harmed in other ways at GHF sites, including by debris from stun grenades, mace spray, or being pushed into razor wire by the crowds.
He recounted witnessing multiple incidents where Palestinians appeared seriously injured, including one man who was directly sprayed in the face with a full can of pepper spray, and a woman who he said was struck by the metal component of a stun grenade improperly fired into a crowd.
“This metal piece hit her directly in the head, and she dropped to the ground, not moving,” he said. “I don’t know if she was dead. I know for a fact she was unconscious and completely limp.”
Earlier this week, over 170 charities and NGOs called for the GHF to be shut down. The organizations, including Oxfam and Save the Children, allege that Israeli forces and armed groups “routinely” open fire on Palestinians seeking aid.
Israel denies that its soldiers deliberately shoot at aid recipients and asserts that the GHF system provides direct assistance to those in need, bypassing Hamas interference.
The GHF claims to have delivered over 52 million meals in five weeks and that other organizations “stand by helplessly as their aid is looted.”
The Israeli military initiated a campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities and the abduction of 251 individuals.
According to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, at least 57,130 people have been killed in Gaza since then.
Additional reporting by Gidi Kleiman and Samantha Granville
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