LONDON: Security personnel hired by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation fired at unarmed Palestinian civilians trying to get aid, a former US soldier who worked for the group has said.
The soldier told Israeli TV station Channel 12 there was “no fixing” the GHF system, and that it “needs to be put to an end.”
About 1,000 people are thought to have died trying to obtain aid at four GHF distribution points in Gaza since it took over operations from several UN-backed and affiliated groups in May.
The UN has said that famine threatens hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the enclave, with numerous reports of people unable to get enough food from the GHF.
The unnamed former soldier told Channel 12 via video that he saw security personnel shooting at people in an attempt to move them from a distribution center, “shooting in their direction, shooting at them, shooting at their feet … to get them to leave.”
He also said he had seen a contractor spray “an entire can of pepper spray” into the face of a man on his hands and knees picking up needles, which he said was “lethal.”
In another incident, he saw another contractor throw a stun grenade at a woman waiting for aid.
“This thing hit her and she just drops, just lifeless, collapsed to the ground. It looked like she had been killed,” he added.
The Associated Press previously interviewed two GHF contractors who confirmed stun grenades and pepper spray were regularly used against crowds at aid sites.
In video footage provided by the contractors to the AP of civilians trying to collect aid at a GHF center, the sound of bullets and stun grenades can be heard.
They said that many contractors were often heavily armed while on site, but were frequently unvetted and unqualified for the job.
The former soldier, who served 25 years with the US military, said the four GHF sites were hard for civilians to reach.
“The sites were not set up in locations, nor were they set up in a way that was conducive to distributing or delivering humanitarian aid to a needy population,” he said. “Most of them don’t have shoes, no water, going through active warzone areas.”
The GHF, backed by the US and Israel, uses private US companies to exclude UN employees from its operations. Israel claims UN-led aid convoys were frequently hijacked by Hamas and other groups in Gaza.
GHF aid centers are based in areas controlled directly by the Israeli military, with international journalists unable to access the sites.
The UN agency for Gaza, UNRWA, has criticized the GHF’s methods, with its chief, Philippe Lazzarini, saying: “The so-called ‘GHF’ distribution scheme is a sadistic death trap. Snipers open fire randomly on crowds as if they are given a license to kill.”
In a statement the GHF told Sky News: “This is a disgruntled former contractor who was terminated for misconduct a month ago. GHF launched an immediate investigation as soon as these allegations were brought to our attention. Based on time-stamped video footage and witness statements, we have concluded that the claims made are categorically false.
“At no point were civilians under fire at a GHF distribution site. The gunfire heard in the video was confirmed to have originated from the IDF, which was outside the immediate vicinity of the GHF site.
“The gunfire was not directed at individuals, and no one was shot or injured. We take the safety and security of our operational sites extremely seriously. When behaviour falls short of our standards, we take action. The contractor seen shouting in the video is no longer part of our operations.
“We remain focused on our core mission — delivering food to the people of Gaza in a safe, direct, and uninterrupted manner, as we have done since launching operations on 27 May. Since then, we have distributed nearly 85 million meals to residents of the Gaza Strip.”
