A former security contractor employed at Gaza’s new Israel- and US-backed aid distribution sites has alleged that his colleagues repeatedly fired on unarmed Palestinians, including women, children, and elderly people, who were simply trying to access food aid. The contractor, who spoke to the BBC on the condition of anonymity, claims to have witnessed guards using machine guns to disperse crowds at the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid sites, at times even firing into groups of vulnerable people who were moving too slowly.
In one harrowing incident, he recounts a guard opening fire from a watchtower on a group of Palestinians who were leaving the site. “A Palestinian man dropped to the ground motionless,” the contractor said. “The other contractor, standing nearby, remarked, ‘damn, I think you got one,’ before laughing about it.”
When asked for comment, GHF categorically denied the allegations, calling them “absolutely false” and asserting that no civilians had been harmed at any of their distribution sites. GHF pointed to their statement which described the incident as a “coincidence,” suggesting that the man in question might have “tripped” or fainted. However, the former contractor disputed this version, stating that GHF managers had downplayed his report, brushing it off as a minor event.
The GHF began operating in Gaza in May, following an 11-week Israeli blockade during which no aid entered the region. While the GHF aims to assist those in need, its system of aid distribution has been widely criticised. Aid recipients are often required to travel through active combat zones to access limited food supplies from a handful of sites. Since the GHF’s operations began, over 400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces while attempting to collect aid, according to the UN and local medical sources.
The contractor further described the lack of proper oversight or operational guidelines, recounting that team leaders often encouraged a culture of impunity, saying, “If you feel threatened, shoot – shoot to kill and ask questions later.” He stated that he witnessed multiple incidents where Palestinian civilians were injured by debris from stun grenades, pepper spray, or even direct violence from the security teams.
“One woman was hit directly in the head by the metal part of a stun grenade,” he said. “She dropped to the ground, not moving. I don’t know if she was dead, but I do know she was unconscious and limp.”
The situation has escalated to such an extent that over 170 aid organisations, including Oxfam and Save the Children, have called for the GHF operation to be shut down. These groups accuse Israeli forces and armed groups of routinely opening fire on Palestinians seeking aid, a claim that Israel denies, maintaining that their operations aim to prevent Hamas interference and deliver aid to those most in need.
The GHF insists that they have delivered over 52 million meals since their operation began and argues that other humanitarian groups are unable to effectively distribute aid because of Hamas’s interference.
As the war between Israel and Hamas continues, the number of Palestinian casualties in Gaza has surpassed 57,000, according to Gaza’s health ministry. These developments have sparked renewed international debate about the ethics of aid distribution in conflict zones and the potential role of private contractors in facilitating these processes.