Latest news with #UGSolutions
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
‘I think I hit one. Hell yeah boy!' US aid workers filmed shooting at Gazans
Armed US contractors at one of Gaza's new aid distribution hubs appeared to fire at Palestinians before celebrating, leaked footage has suggested. Video seems to have shown machine gun fire in the vicinity of civilians seeking aid, with an American voice shouting: 'I think you got one.' Another voice adds: 'Hell, yeah, boy!' The alleged incident took place at a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is backed by Israel and the US but condemned by much of the rest of the international community. A former security contractor at one of the sites told the BBC that he saw a guard with a machine gun open fire from a watchtower because a group of women, children and elderly people were moving away from the site too slowly. "Hell yeah, boy!" US contractors in Gaza cheer after deliberately opening fire on aid-seeking Palestinians. Source: AP — The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) July 3, 2025 Another contractor then opened fire, the whistleblower claimed. He said: 'A Palestinian man dropped to the ground motionless. And then the other contractor, who was standing there, was like 'damn, I think you got one'. And then they laughed about it.' The Associated Press reportedly spoke to two contractors for UG Solutions, who have been sub-contracted to GHF sites, and alleged that there was regular use of live ammunition, stun grenades and pepper spray on Palestinians who posed no threat. They claimed security staff hired to protect the sites were often unqualified, unvetted and acted with impunity while being heavily armed. The GHF said the accusations were categorically false, adding that no civilians have ever come under fire at their distribution sites. The new model for aid delivery has been designed to prevent food and supplies falling into the hands of Hamas, thereby propping up the terror group. Rather than delivering aid into population centres, the system requires people to walk long distances across open ground towards specially created centres. Photos and footage has shown large numbers of people being forced into narrow corridors between berms of earth, with security contractors standing above them. Hundreds have been killed in shootings in the wider vicinity of the aid centres as eyewitnesses have accused Israeli troops, who provide a wider ring of security, of opening fire. Israel has denied this, but has conceded to firing warning shots in the area. However, the new testimony has marked the first time an American staff member at the sites has been implicated. The GHF said it was operating in the face of people with a 'vested interest' in seeing it fail and denied any misconduct or lack of experience among staff.
The National
2 days ago
- The National
US contractors guarding Gaza aid sites admit to firing live ammunition at hungry Palestinians
US contractors guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza are firing live ammunition and stun grenades at Palestinians rushing to get food near the deadly distribution centres, the Associated Press has revealed based on accounts and videos. Two American contractors told the AP on condition of anonymity that their colleagues regularly use stun grenades, pepper spray and bullets against aid-seekers. 'There are innocent people being hurt. Badly. Needlessly,' one of them said. Thousands of starving Palestinians typically gather near the sites. The scenes have been chaotic, turning deadly as people rush when gunfire is heard. The American staff work with the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), guarding its aid distribution centres that have been the site of several deadly incidents and controversy. The AP said it spoke to contractors for UG Solutions, subcontracted to hire security personnel for the sites. A spokesman for UG Solutions, Drew O'Brien, said UG has an extensive recruiting and training process. Meanwhile, a representative for the GHF said there are people with a 'vested interest' in seeing it fail and are willing to do or say almost anything to make that happen, AP reported. The GHF opened sites around the enclave in May, secured by a private security force and Israeli troops, to prevent the alleged Hamas looting. The deadly incidents near the site have raised further questions about whether the militarised aid initiative can deliver food supplies safely. AP's report is the latest in a series of accounts revealing harrowing details. A report published by Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Friday said Israeli commanders ordered troops to fire at crowds to drive them away or disperse them, even though it was clear the people posed no threat. The Israeli military admitted civilians had been 'harmed' near GHF distribution points, saying there were 'lessons learnt'. Israeli authorities have previously denied soldiers fired directly at desperate civilians seeking aid at GHF sites. At least 549 Palestinians have been killed while waiting for food aid near the GHF distribution centres since they began operating late in May, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The AP said videos taken at the site, obtained from the contractors, showed hundreds of Palestinians 'crowded between metal gates, jostling for aid amid the sound of bullets, stun grenades and the sting of pepper spray'. Other videos were said to include men speaking in English about how to disperse the crowds 'and encouraging each other after bursts of gunfire'. In an email from May shared with the AP by a third party, one high-ranking contractor wrote to the head of UG Solutions and called the operation 'amateur hour'. He wrote that the sites did not have enough staff or resources making them 'not sustainable' and 'not safe', according to the email, seen by the AP. The outlet said it geolocated the videos received and analysed them with two forensic experts who identified live ammunition, including machine-gun fire, coming from the sites. 'According to the contractor who took the videos, the Israeli army is leveraging the distribution system to access information,' the report said. 'Both contractors said that cameras monitor distributions at each site and that American analysts and Israeli soldiers sit in a control room where the footage is screened in real time.' The GHF has said the Israeli army is not posted at the distribution sites. The UN and international NGOs have refused to work with the GHF. Last week, in an apparent reference to the GHF, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said any operation that funnels desperate civilians seeking aid into militarised zones in Gaza is 'inherently unsafe', and 'is killing people'. More than 160 charities and NGOs have issued a joint call for the GHF to close. The Swiss Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations (ESA) said in a notice published in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce on Wednesday that it could order the dissolution of the GHF unless creditors come forward in 30 days.
The National
2 days ago
- The National
US contractors guarding Gaza aid sites admit to firing live ammo at hungry Palestinians
US contractors guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza are firing live ammunition and stun grenades at Palestinians rushing to get food near the deadly distribution centres, the Associated Press has revealed based on accounts and videos. Two American contractors told the AP on condition of anonymity that their colleagues regularly use stun grenades, pepper spray and bullets against aid-seekers. 'There are innocent people being hurt. Badly. Needlessly,' one of them said. Thousands of starving Palestinians typically gather near the sites. The scenes have been chaotic, turning deadly as people rush when gunfire is heard. The American staff work with the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), guarding its aid distribution centres that have been the site of several deadly incidents and controversy. The AP said it spoke to contractors for UG Solutions, subcontracted to hire security personnel for the sites. A spokesman for UG Solutions, Drew O'Brien, said UG has an extensive recruiting and training process. Meanwhile, a representative for the GHF said there are people with a 'vested interest' in seeing it fail and are willing to do or say almost anything to make that happen, AP reported. The GHF opened sites around the enclave in May, secured by a private security force and Israeli troops, to prevent the alleged Hamas looting. The deadly incidents near the site have raised further questions about whether the militarised aid initiative can deliver food supplies safely. AP's report is the latest in a series of accounts revealing harrowing details. A report published by Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Friday said Israeli commanders ordered troops to fire at crowds to drive them away or disperse them, even though it was clear the people posed no threat. The Israeli military admitted civilians had been 'harmed' near GHF distribution points, saying there were 'lessons learnt'. Israeli authorities have previously denied soldiers fired directly at desperate civilians seeking aid at GHF sites. At least 549 Palestinians have been killed while waiting for food aid near the GHF distribution centres since they began operating late in May, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The AP said videos taken at the site, obtained from the contractors, showed hundreds of Palestinians 'crowded between metal gates, jostling for aid amid the sound of bullets, stun grenades and the sting of pepper spray'. Other videos were said to include men speaking in English about how to disperse the crowds 'and encouraging each other after bursts of gunfire'. In an email from May shared with the AP by a third party, one high-ranking contractor wrote to the head of UG Solutions and called the operation 'amateur hour'. He wrote that the sites did not have enough staff or resources making them 'not sustainable' and 'not safe', according to the email, seen by the AP. The outlet said it geolocated the videos received and analysed them with two forensic experts who identified live ammunition, including machine-gun fire, coming from the sites. 'According to the contractor who took the videos, the Israeli army is leveraging the distribution system to access information,' the report said. 'Both contractors said that cameras monitor distributions at each site and that American analysts and Israeli soldiers sit in a control room where the footage is screened in real time.' The GHF has said the Israeli army is not posted at the distribution sites. The UN and international NGOs have refused to work with the GHF. Last week, in an apparent reference to the GHF, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said any operation that funnels desperate civilians seeking aid into militarised zones in Gaza is 'inherently unsafe', and 'is killing people'. More than 160 charities and NGOs have issued a joint call for the GHF to close. The Swiss Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations (ESA) said in a notice published in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce on Wednesday that it could order the dissolution of the GHF unless creditors come forward in 30 days.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- New Indian Express
US contractors say their colleagues are firing live ammo as Palestinians seek food in Gaza
Videos, texts, internal reports document havoc at food sites AP spoke to the two contractors for UG Solutions, an American outfit subcontracted to hire security personnel for the distribution sites. They said bullets, stun grenades and pepper spray were used at nearly every distribution, even if there was no threat. Videos of aid being dispensed at the sites seen by the AP appear to back up the frenetic scenes the contractors described. The footage was taken within the first two weeks of its distributions — about halfway into the operations. In one video, what appear to be heavily armed American security contractors at one of the sites in Gaza discuss how to disperse Palestinians nearby. One is heard saying he has arranged for a 'show of force' by Israeli tanks. 'I don't want this to be too aggressive," he adds, "because this is calming down.' At that moment, bursts of gunfire erupt close by, at least 15 shots. 'Whoo! Whoo!' one contractor yelps. 'I think you hit one,' one says. Then comes a shout: 'Hell, yeah, boy!' The camera's view is obscured by a large dirt mound. The contractor who took the video told AP that he saw other contractors shooting in the direction of Palestinians who had just collected their food and were departing. The men shot both from a tower above the site and from atop the mound, he said. The shooting began because contractors wanted to disperse the crowd, he said, but it was unclear why they continued shooting as people were walking away. The camera does not show who was shooting or what was being shot at. But the contractor who filmed it said he watched another contractor fire at the Palestinians and then saw a man about 60 yards (meters) away — in the same direction where the bullets were fired — drop to the ground. This happened at the same time the men were heard talking — effectively egging each other on, he said. In other videos furnished by the contractor, men in grey uniforms — colleagues, he said — can be seen trying to clear Palestinians who are squeezed into a narrow, fenced-in passage leading to one of the centers. The men fire pepper spray and throw stun grenades that detonate amid the crowd. The sound of gunfire can be heard. The contractor who took the video said the security personnel usually fire at the ground near the crowds or from nearby towers over their heads. During a single distribution in June, contractors used 37 stun grenades, 27 rubber-and-smoke 'scat shell' projectiles and 60 cans of pepper spray, according to internal text communications shared with the AP. That count does not include live ammunition, the contractor who provided the videos said. One photo shared by that contractor shows a woman lying in a donkey cart after he said she was hit in the head with part of a stun grenade. An internal report by Safe Reach Solutions, the logistics company subcontracted by GHF to run the sites, found that aid seekers were injured during 31% of the distributions that took place in a two-week period in June. The report did not specify the number of injuries or the cause. SRS told the AP the report refers to non-serious injuries. More videos show frenzied scenes of Palestinians running to collect leftover food boxes at one site. Hundreds of young men crowd near low metal barriers, transferring food from boxes to bags while contractors on the other side of the barriers tell them to stay back. Some Palestinians wince and cough from pepper spray. 'You tasting that pepper spray? Yuck,' one man close to the camera can be heard saying in English. SRS acknowledged that it's dealing with large, hungry populations, but said the environment is secure, controlled, and ensures people can get the aid they need safely.
The Guardian
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Rights groups warn Gaza Humanitarian Foundation it may be liable for international law violations
Fifteen international human rights organisations have called on the Israel- and US-backed Gaza food delivery group, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), and other private groups running humanitarian aid delivery in Gaza to cease their operations or face legal consequences. In a letter sent on Monday to GHF and the affiliated Safe Reach Solutions and UG Solutions, the rights advocates warned that private contractors operating in Gaza in collaboration with the Israeli government risk 'aiding and abetting or otherwise being complicit in crimes under international law, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide'. They also noted that the contractors may be liable under US law and in other jurisdictions. The letter marks the latest warning against GHF, which has been mired in controversy since replacing most UN-run relief operations in Gaza. Major aid groups have boycotted it and accused it of violating the principles of neutrality and independence that are bedrocks of humanitarian work. GHF did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The rollout of GHF operations over the last three weeks – after a two-month blockade on most aid entering Gaza that has pushed the territory's 2.1 million residents to the verge of famine – has been deadly. Scores of Palestinians seeking food aid have been killed by Israeli forces in chaotic scenes surrounding four privately run distribution hubs a UN official has described as 'death traps'. 'GHF's militarized model, coupled with its close collaboration with Israeli authorities, undermines the core humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence,' the letter sent Monday warned. 'We urge all parties involved – State actors, corporate entities, donors and individuals – to immediately suspend any action or support that facilitates the forcible displacement of civilians, contributes to starvation or other grave breaches of international law, or undermines the core principles of international humanitarian law.' Earlier this month, the US-based Center for Constitutional Rights had warned in a separate letter to Johnnie Moore, the evangelical leader and Trump adviser appointed to run the foundation after its former head resigned, that he and other GHF representatives may face civil litigation or criminal prosecution. 'Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in the weeks since GHF began its dehumanizing, militarized 'distribution hubs' in coordination with Israeli forces,' said Katherine Gallagher, a senior staff attorney at CCR, which also signed onto the most recent letter. 'If it continues its deadly, militarized operations, legal consequences will follow, whether in the United States or beyond.' Raji Sourani, director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, another signatory, said it is 'immoral and inhuman when those committing the genocide take responsibility to feed those whom they have starved'. 'They are using the GHF to humiliate, degrade and kill daily tens of starving people,' he added, referring to Israel. Last week, US senator Elizabeth Warren questioned the Trump administration's proposal to redirect $500m from USAID, which the administration has gutted, to GHF, which is registered in the US and Switzerland. 'The questions surrounding GHF – its funding sources and connection to the Trump Administration, its use of private contractors, its ability to serve and be seen as a neutral entity, its abandonment by its founders, and its basic competence in providing aid – must be answered before the State Department commits any funding to the organization,' Warren wrote. Human rights and humanitarian groups across the world have denounced the replacement of independent, long-established humanitarian relief operations by private, militarized groups and called for UN-operated relief efforts to be allowed in the strip again. 'This is not how you avert famine,' James Elder, Unicef's global spokesperson, wrote in the Guardian. 'There is no need to reinvent the wheel. We delivered aid at scale during the ceasefire, and we can do it again. We just need to be allowed to do our jobs.'
