A truck driver working for a US logistics subcontractor in Gaza has confirmed allegations that American security personnel and Israeli forces routinely fired fire on Palestinians seeking humanitarian assistance.
Witnesses identified under the cinema “Mike” on CBS News due to safety concerns said they secretly recorded a video capturing the sound of the shooting during the distribution of aid.
Mike reported that both Israeli forces employed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and US security contractors engaged in indiscriminate shootings. “It took me a couple of days to realise they were actually shooting people. They weren’t shooting combatants,” he said. When asked if the shot was a warning, he replied, “No, it’s indiscriminate.”
GHF, the only Israel-approved aid distributor in the blockade territory, began operations in May. Since then, at least 2,036 Palestinians have been killed and more than 15,064 have been injured along the site or route of access. Confirming its existence through cell phone metadata, Mike said he was working in the atmosphere of an eternal shooting, witnessing “such strength and such despair” among civilians gathering before dawn for food.
He also said he was ordered to clean up the rest of the humans and animals. “I’m struggling to talk about it… I feel a little slower and I can feel my chest pounding harder. I’ve really closed,” he told CBS. He said American security guards boast of killing people and animals to showcase their shootings.
Palestinian NGO Addameer reported that at least 54 Palestinians disappeared when headed to the GHF centre in early August, and that bodies often remained unrecovered due to Israel’s blockade. Mike said he decided to make a statement because “If I didn’t say anything, it wouldn’t be sitting with me.” He added, “These atrocities don’t have to happen.”