DaysofPal – American personnel assisting Israeli forces opened fire on starving Palestinians at aid distribution sites in Gaza, according to a former US subcontractor.
A US logistics company hired the man, who was only called “Mike” for fear of retaliation, to drive aid trucks in Israel, he told CBS News. But once deployed, he found himself operating inside Gaza under the GHF, the sole entity approved by Israel to distribute aid in the besieged enclave.
“It took me two or three days to realize that they were actually shooting at people. They weren’t shooting at combatants,” he said, describing how both Israeli troops and US security contractors fired live rounds at desperate civilians. Asked if these were warning shots, Mike replied, “No, it’s indiscriminate.”
Since GHF began operations in May, at least 2,036 Palestinians have been killed and more than 15,000 wounded while attempting to collect food or queuing for assistance at its distribution centers, according to health authorities.
Death Traps for Aid Seekers
International organizations and human rights activists have long condemned the GHF-run sites as “death traps.” Multiple reports have documented instances of US contractors firing on crowds, while Israeli soldiers themselves have admitted to deliberately targeting unarmed aid seekers on orders from their commanders.
Mike, who spent weeks driving trucks to GHF sites, said he witnessed shooting every single day. He secretly recorded footage of gunfire around the centers, which was later verified by CBS News through metadata from his phone.
“The desperation I saw was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” he recalled. “People gathered before dawn just to get food. I had never seen a crowd behave with such intensity and such desperation.”
‘Boasting About Kills’
The truck driver also described disturbing behavior by some American contractors assigned to “secure” the aid zones. “They would often boast about how many people they’ve killed, or if they managed to shoot animals or birds, bragging about how good their aim was,” he said.
One of his worst experiences, he added, was being ordered to clean up human and animal remains around the aid sites. “I struggle to talk about it… I just shut down, really,” he told the broadcaster.
Mike has since returned home and vowed not to return to the job. “These atrocities don’t have to happen,” he said. “It just wouldn’t sit right with me if I didn’t say something.”
Denials and Disappearances
Both the GHF and the Israeli army have denied the allegations, with GHF claiming it had “never encountered any situation involving unclaimed bodies” at or near its sites. But reports and images of remains scattered around distribution centers have circulated widely in recent weeks.
In early August, the Palestinian prisoner support group Addameer said at least 54 Palestinians went missing after heading to GHF aid centers.
“We have documented arrests of aid seekers, including children,” the group said, accusing Israeli forces of obstructing recovery efforts.
“Bodies are piling up near aid sites, and in many cases, the [Israeli army] has bulldozed them without allowing proper recovery or identification,” Addameer reported.
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