The Associated Press has obtained videos, internal documents and testimony from two U.S. contractors indicating that American security guards at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid sites have repeatedly fired live ammunition, stun grenades and pepper-spray at Palestinians queuing for food. In one clip, contractors are heard celebrating after gunfire, shouting, “I think you hit one … Hell, yeah, boy!”, while crowds press against metal gates amid bursts of shots.
The contractors, who work for UG Solutions under a Safe Reach Solutions (SRS) contract, said many guards were hired days before deployment, lacked weapons training and appeared to have an “open licence” to use force. Internal SRS messages show that during a single June distribution 37 stun grenades, 27 rubber-and-smoke shells and 60 cans of pepper spray were deployed; live-fire rounds were not tallied. An SRS field report found aid seekers were hurt in 31 percent of distributions over a two-week period.
GHF, set up in February and operating four heavily fortified sites since late May, is backed by Israel and last month secured a US$30 million pledge from Washington. The group says it has handed out more than 50 million meals and insists its staff are seasoned professionals. Journalists and most aid agencies are barred from the Israeli-controlled zones where the centres operate.
SRS told AP there have been “no serious injuries”, adding that any live rounds were warning shots fired into the ground during the height of crowd desperation. UG Solutions said it vets and trains personnel, while GHF said it launched an internal investigation when alerted to the allegations. The Israel Defense Forces deny posting troops inside the sites; the contractors counter that Israeli soldiers and U.S. analysts monitor real-time facial-recognition feeds from a nearby control room.
The revelations come as Gaza’s 2 million residents face acute food shortages after 21 months of war. The enclave’s Health Ministry says more than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, and aid groups warn that chaotic, militarised food distribution is worsening the humanitarian crisis.
🇺🇸🇮🇱🇵🇸 WATCH: AP has obtained video showing American contractors in Gaza cheering after shooting at Palestinians near an aid distribution point. One yells, “I think you hit one,” and another responds, “Hell yeah, boy!”
You can also hear a contractor mention coordinating with an
American contractors guarding aid distribution sites in #Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades as hungry Palestinians scramble for food, according to accounts and videos obtained by The Associated Press. #Palestine
