'Is it really justified?' Contractor linked to US-backed aid group details chaos in Gaza

ITV News

21-07-2025

A contractor involved with the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation told Global Security Editor Rohit Kachroo about the aid group's operation in Gaza
Words by Sophia Ankel and Nathan Lee
A contractor involved with a US-Israeli-backed aid group in Gaza has spoken out about what he claims is a chaotic operation marked by "bad practices".
The contractor worked with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and documented his time on the ground over a number of weeks.
Speaking to ITV News on condition of anonymity, he alleges a culture of 'just winging it' and said he was left 'traumatised' by some of what he witnessed.
The GHF was established in February 2025 and took over food distribution operations in Gaza in late May, prompting outcry from UN agencies and other private groups.
More than 1,000 people have died while trying to get food in recent weeks. Of those, over 670 people have been killed in the vicinity of the group's sites, according to the latest UN figures, often attributed to Israeli fire - including gunshots and tear gas - while the GHF has also been criticised for crowd control incidents, including stampedes.
The contractor, who has worked at all four of the GHF's distribution sites, had conflicting emotions.
"If it wasn't for the amount of meals that we've given out, a lot more people would have died from starvation than the hundreds of people that might have died as a result of them being killed on the way or back from one of these sites, so obviously it is the lesser of two evils," he said.
"But I'm thinking, is it really justified? Is there actually such a thing as the lesser of two evils? Logically, yes, because if you've got a choice in terms of 10,000 people dying or 1,000 people dying, I'd obviously take 1,000.
"But who's really allowed to make that decision? Who has given somebody the authority?"
The contractor explained the aid delivery trucks are driven in a convoy guarded by the IDF, and when they reach distribution points, the IDF is there, alongside armed guards working for the GHF, to protect the sites while the aid is being unloaded.
But according to him, the overrunning of aid sites has become commonplace, creating dangerous situations for everyone on the ground.
"I saw in one instance during an evacuation, Israeli soldiers running and shouting at two people that were dressed in regular clothing.
"I saw a couple of IDF soldiers going prone and then about two seconds afterwards, I saw both of the heads of the Palestinians snap back and then drop and that was during one of the very frequent evacuations because of [the site] being overrun."
In a video shared with ITV News, an IDF tank on the perimeter of a GHF site can be seen firing, while retaliatory shots appear to come back towards where the aid is being delivered.
In another video, the contractor claimed that unidentified Palestinians entered a road which was outside of the "safe zone" and gunfire subsequently rings out.
At one point, a man at the site can be heard laughing and saying: "Here comes the tanks...run the f***ers over."
The GHF, he claimed, needs "restructuring because there's a lot of bad practice."
"There's a whole culture of just winging it," he added.
In a statement to ITV News, the GHF rejected the claims made by the contractor, adding: "It is an active war zone in Gaza. It's also one of the most complex operating environments in the world. The legacy models of aid delivery have failed to adequately meet the overwhelming needs of the population.
"That's why GHF exists and why we are committed to constant innovation to meet President Trump's call for new, effective ways to get aid into Gaza while the UN's trucks get looted and overrun and their aid is not making it into the strip."
Today, a spokesperson for the GHF told reporters it was "routinely pressing" the IDF to "facilitate the safe movement of civilians accessing aid at all points.
"They have made some improvements to their procedures, but we will continue to press them."