Gaza aid guards accused of firing on Palestinians seeking food: Report

Security guards employed by the US and Israel backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation have fired upon Palestinians seeking food at GHF distribution centres, calling them “zombie hoards”, reported the BBC and AP.

Guards firing at Palestinians

According to the BBC report, a former security contractor of the GHF has said that he has seen his colleagues firing live ammunition at crowds of Palestinians as they approach the aid distribution points for much-needed food items. He further alleged that apart from stun guns, these security guards had even used machine guns to fire on the Palestinians.

The former security contractor who worked for the GHF went on to describe that in one instance, a security guard opened fire from a watch tower with a machine gun on a group of women, children and elderly only because they were “too slow” in moving away from the site.

He also said that soon after, another contractor standing at the same GHF site was standing on a berm overlooking the exit, adding that he fired 15 to 20 shots at the crowd. He further alleged that when one of the Palestinian man dropped to the ground, then another contractor told the first one “ ‘'damn, I think you got one’” and they laughed together.

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Complaints ignored

The former security contractor further alleged that when he reported the incident to the GHF managers, they brushed aside his complaint as a mere coincidence, claiming that the Palestinian man could have tripped or just fainted due to exhaustion.

The report also stated that the former security contractor has claimed that there were no standard operating procedures or definitive rules of engagement for security personnel at the GHF site. He said that the team leader even told the guard that if they feel threatened they should first “shoot to kill” and ask questions later.

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‘No rules, no SOP’

He also said that the work culture of work at GHF sites felt like, since they were working in Gaza, there would be no rules and they could do what they wanted.

“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," the former security contractor told the BBC.

He further alleged that team leaders often referred to Gazans as “zombie hoards”, implying that they have no value.

Describing one incident when a Palestinian woman was hit in the face with a stun grenade, the former security contractor told the BBC “This metal piece hit her directly in the head and she dropped to the ground, not moving. I don't know if she was dead. I know for a fact she was unconscious and completely limp.”

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GHF denies allegation

However, according to a report by AP the GHF has denied the allegations by the former security contractor “Based on time-stamped video footage and sworn witness statements, we have concluded that the claims in the AP's story are categorically false,” stated GHF adding “At no point were civilians under fire at a GHF distribution site,”

In its statement Thursday, GHF said the fire heard in videos obtained by The AP came from Israel's military, located “outside the immediate vicinity” of the aid sites themselves. It offered no evidence.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an army spokesman, told the AP Thursday that the army is “not within the sites” and “not in the immediate proximity to the sites.” GHF said the gunfire in the videos obtained by the AP “was not directed at individuals, and no one was shot or injured."

The backdrop

Gaza’s more than 2 million Palestinians are living through a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, setting off the 21-month war, Israel has bombarded and laid siege to the strip, leaving many teetering on the edge of famine, according to food security experts.

For 2 1/2 months before GHF’s opening in May, Israel blocked all food, water and medicine from entering Gaza, claiming Hamas was stealing the aid being transported under a preexisting system coordinated by the United Nations. It now wants GHF to replace that U.N. system. The U.N. says its Gaza aid operations do not involve armed guards