'Zombie Hordes': US aid guards in Gaza accused of shooting at refugees

US contractors at Gaza aid group shooting live rounds at Palestinians (File Image: AFP)

The United States-based aid agency, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, is reportedly operating without oversight, with allegations of gunfire being used against Palestinian refugees seeking food and aid, according to reports from the Associated Press and the BBC.

The members of GHF are mostly staffed by private American contractors run by US and Israel who the contractors say are often unqualified, unvetted and heavily armed, and seem to have an open license to do whatever they wanted.

At least 600 Palestinians have reportedly been killed and over 4,000 injured while waiting for food aid at distribution sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), according to the Gaza Government Media Office, as cited by LBC.

A former contractor told the BBC that guards assigned to protect these aid sites fired stun grenades and live ammunition including from a machine gun  at unarmed elderly people, women, and children “because they were ‘moving too slowly away from the site.’” The contractor also claimed some guards referred to the refugees as “zombie hordes.”

“There are innocent people being hurt. Badly. Needlessly,” one of the GHF contractor mentioned to AP, describing the actions as “dangerous and irresponsible.”

The contractors allege that their colleagues routinely used pepper spray and fired bullets “in all directions  in the air, into the ground and at times toward the Palestinians,” adding they recalled at least one instance where “he thought someone had been hit.”

Desperately seeking food – starving Palestinians 🇵🇸 instead are met with live ammunition and stun grenades at the US 🇺🇸 Israeli 🇮🇱 GHF aid distribution center

This video obtained by the Associated Press is the first time footage has been leaked from the contractors working at… https://t.co/HSLfcmjKlkpic.twitter.com/jexLZmvLq7 — Saad Abedine (@SaadAbedine) July 3, 2025

Journalist Saad Abedine of Al Jazeera shared a video released by the Associated Press showing disturbing scenes from aid distribution sites in Gaza. According to AP, the footage captured civilians crammed between metal gates as gunfire, shouting, and flashbang explosions erupted around them.

In the clip, a man is heard shouting, “I think you hit someone!” after firing 15 rounds, to which another replies, “Hell, yeah, dude!”

GHF denies

In the response to the report done by AP, the GHF posted on X in which it mentioned it had launched "an immediate investigation" that found the claims to be "categorically false".

"The gunfire heard in the video was confirmed to have originated from the IDF (the Israeli military, the Israel Defence Force), which was outside the immediate vicinity of the GHF distribution site. It was not directed at individuals, and no one was shot or injured," the Foundation posted on X.

GHF statement in response to recent reporting from the Associated Press: “GHF launched an immediate investigation when the Associated Press first brought these allegations to our attention. Based on time-stamped video footage and sworn witness statements, we have concluded that… — Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (@GHFUpdates) July 3, 2025

"The primary source for the story is a disgruntled former contractor who was terminated for misconduct weeks before this article was published. That fact, combined with the AP's refusal to engage in good faith prior to publication, undermines the credibility of their reporting" it further added.

About the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

The United States has backed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) an Israeli-approved organization as a central part of its strategy to address the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip reports Al-Jazeera.

However, the foundation is already facing significant criticism, with accusations that it has played a role in the deaths and injuries of hundreds of Palestinians attempting to access food aid.

GHF facing criticism 

The foundation has come under fire from more than 150 charitable organizations, including Oxfam, following reports that over 500 refugees have been killed since it began operations.

In a strong condemnation, Amnesty International stated that the GHF "does not adhere to core humanitarian standards and principles." The organization also noted that 400 previously established aid points had been shut down and replaced with four “military-controlled” distribution sites, forcing more than two million displaced Palestinians into “overcrowded, militarised zones.”

Doctors Without Borders, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning medical aid group, described the GHF’s aid operations as “slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid.”

Allegations of Palestinian refugees being fired upon while waiting for food are not new. Just last month, The New York Times reported that Israeli soldiers opened fire on crowds walking toward a food distribution center.

(With agency inputs)