US Military Veteran Working for Aid Site in Gaza Says He Had 'Never Seen Such Force Used Against Unarmed Civilians'

A U.S. military veteran who formerly worked at one of the four controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites has spoken out, stating he had "never seen such force used against unarmed civilians" in his 25-year military career, which included 12 deployments across four wars.

The former American security contractor, who was employed in Gaza by UG Solutions, spoke anonymously in an interview aired Tuesday on Israel's Channel 12. He emphasized that he had never participated in the use of force against civilians during his military service and had no intention of doing so now. This, he said, ultimately led to his resignation.

"You can't fix this," he said. "It has to stop."

He recounted several disturbing incidents that contributed to his decision to leave. In one case, he described witnessing an unarmed Palestinian man on his hands and knees collecting spilled noodles.

"He wasn't a threat," the veteran said. "And this contractor sprayed an entire can of pepper spray into this guy's face. That's lethal."

In another incident, he recalled standing near two Palestinian women when a stun grenade was thrown toward them, striking one and causing her to collapse. He said it "looked like she had been killed."

The veteran also criticized the placement of GHF distribution sites, saying they were not located in areas suitable for effectively delivering aid. He described scenes of desperate civilians walking miles, often barefoot, through active conflict zones to collect 40-pound boxes of supplies.

"As Palestinians were finishing getting the aid that was on site, the UG Solutions personnel began shooting in their direction, shooting at them, shooting at their feet, shooting at the grounds to get them to leave," he recounted.

Since the opening of the aid sites at the end of May, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and American private military contractors, NPR reported. Israeli authorities have further restricted the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave since March 2.

Since Monday, 43 Palestinians, most of them children, have reportedly died from starvation. For comparison, prior to this week, 68 starvation-related deaths had been reported since Oct. 7, 2023, The Guardian reported.