Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Rebukes AP for ‘Categorically False’ Story Claiming Contractors Fired at Civilians

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) responded Thursday to a story by the Associated Press (AP) that claimed its security contractors used live ammunition in Gaza, endangering the lives of Palestinian civilians.

The AP story stopped short of explicitly stating that contractors had killed Palestinians — a “fake news” claim that has been promoted by Hamas and repeated by other outlets — but that was the implication in the article.

The AP reported:

American contractors guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades as hungry Palestinians scramble for food, according to accounts and videos obtained by The Associated Press.

Two U.S. contractors, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were revealing their employers’ internal operations, said they were coming forward because they were disturbed by what they considered dangerous and irresponsible practices. They said the security staff hired were often unqualified, unvetted, heavily armed and seemed to have an open license to do whatever they wished.

They said their colleagues regularly lobbed stun grenades and pepper spray in the direction of the Palestinians. One contractor said bullets were fired in all directions — in the air, into the ground and at times toward the Palestinians, recalling at least one instance where he thought someone had been hit.

The GHF responded in a statement on Thursday:

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 the claims in the AP’s story are categorically false. At no point were civilians under fire at a GHF distribution site. The gunfire heard in the video was confirmed to have originated from the IDF [Israel Defense Forces], who was outside the immediate vicinity of the GHF distribution site. It was not directed at individuals, and no one was shot or injured.

What is most troubling is that the AP refused to share the full video with us prior to publication, despite the seriousness of the allegations. If they believed their own reporting, they should have provided us with the footage so we could take immediate and appropriate action.

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. Their coverage of our aid operations has increasingly echoed narratives advanced by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health. In response, we are pursuing legal action.

We take the safety and security of our sites extremely seriously. When behavior falls short of our standards, we act. The contractor seen shouting in the video was removed from our operations. We remain focused on delivering food to the people of Gaza safely, directly, and without interference. That mission is too important to be derailed by misinformation.

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer was asked about the allegations — this time, with IDF soldiers taking the blame — in a briefing with reporters on Thursday, and agreed that they were false.

Past claims that the GHF is responsible for Palestinian deaths, pushed by Hamas, have been reported and then retracted by mainstream media outlets.