Watan-An investigation by the Associated Press, conducted by Julia Frankel, uncovers deeply disturbing actions by U.S. security contractors hired to guard food distribution centers in Gaza, operated by the secretive American-Israeli NGO “Gaza Humanity.” Based on eyewitness interviews, internal documents, and verified video footage, contractors reportedly fired live ammunition, stun grenades, and pepper spray on desperate Palestinian civilians trying to receive humanitarian aid.
Two anonymous American security contractors told AP they spoke out due to what they called reckless and dangerous behavior. They claimed that many guards were underqualified, heavily armed, and operating with a sense of impunity. These guards regularly used crowd control weapons, with live bullets fired into the air, ground, and even at people, sometimes injuring civilians without justification.
One contractor recalled an incident where a person was hit, saying: “Innocents are being seriously injured for no reason.”
Coordinated Surveillance and Shooting
According to testimonies and video clips, contractors and soldiers monitored the crowds using facial recognition and real-time surveillance. Video showed civilians crammed between metal gates at aid sites amid gunfire, shouting, and explosions of flashbangs. Some scenes even captured American security agents joking and congratulating each other after firing weapons.
In one video, a heavily armed guard said he had organized an Israeli tank “show of force.” Just after, around 15 rounds were fired, and one man exclaimed, “I think you hit someone!” followed by, “Hell yeah, dude!”
One security contractor who filmed the footage said guards shot at people who had already received their food and were walking away. He said the Israeli army and U.S. personnel watched everything live from a control room on the Israeli side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, some using AI facial recognition software.
Gaza Humanity: Funding, Secrecy, and Violence
The Gaza Humanity organization was registered in Delaware in February 2025 and began operations a month later. It is funded partly by a $30 million U.S. government donation, the only known official support, with its other sources remaining secret. Israel has promoted the group as a replacement for UN and humanitarian organizations it accuses—without evidence—of aiding Hamas.
Palestinians told AP that Israeli forces fire daily on people trying to reach the aid points across military-controlled areas. According to the Gaza Health Ministry and eyewitnesses, hundreds have been killed or wounded during these distribution attempts.
While Gaza Humanity claims it has delivered the equivalent of 50 million meals, AP reviewed internal documents showing that during a single June distribution, guards used:
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37 flashbang grenades
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27 rubber and smoke rounds
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60 pepper spray canisters
(not counting live ammunition).
One image shared showed a woman bleeding from her head in a donkey cart after being hit by a stun grenade.
“A System of Abuse and Intelligence Gathering”
Contractors said U.S. staff at the sites document and profile aid-seekers, sharing that information with Israeli military intelligence. Surveillance footage, including facial recognition, is processed in real-time from a shipping container near the Israeli-Gaza border, allegedly housing both American analysts and Israeli soldiers.
One contractor insisted he never felt threatened by Hamas at any time, contradicting company claims that Hamas endangered aid workers. A company spokesperson for Safe Rich Solutions, which manages logistics and security for Gaza Humanity, denied any civilian injuries, claiming that live fire was only used early on, and always away from crowds “for safety.”
However, a confidential report by the same company showed that 31% of June’s food distributions resulted in injuries—although it downplayed them as “minor.”
The Broader Picture: Humanitarian Crisis and Weaponization of Aid
The Gaza humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by Israel’s blockade and refusal to allow UN agencies to deliver food, has pushed civilians into desperate conditions. By restricting access to Gaza Humanity’s sites and substituting international aid channels, Israel claims it is preventing aid from reaching Hamas—a claim for which it has provided no proof.
AP’s findings paint a grim picture of a U.S.-Israeli operation where military-grade crowd control, real-time surveillance, and profiling are used against starving civilians, some of whom shouted to the contractors: “We came here for food for our families, why are you shooting at us?”
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