{"id":298124,"date":"2025-07-14T12:00:52","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T11:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=298124"},"modified":"2025-07-09T06:31:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T05:31:11","slug":"new-footage-exposes-ragtag-us-mercenaries-firing-toward-gaza-food-aid-seekers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/07\/new-footage-exposes-ragtag-us-mercenaries-firing-toward-gaza-food-aid-seekers\/","title":{"rendered":"New Footage Exposes Ragtag US Mercenaries Firing toward Gaza Food Aid Seekers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_283308\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/gaza-israel-palestine-genocide-2.webp\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-283308\" class=\"wp-image-283308\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/gaza-israel-palestine-genocide-2.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/gaza-israel-palestine-genocide-2.webp 770w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/gaza-israel-palestine-genocide-2-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/gaza-israel-palestine-genocide-2-768x512.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-283308\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Palestinians climb onto trucks to grab aid that got through to central Gaza, 18 May 2024.<br \/>[Ramadan Abed\/Reuters]<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><em>Following an AP investigation accusing a US mercenary firm of firing on desperate Gaza aid seekers, the company has released extensive new footage in an attempt at damage control. But the video only further implicates the scandal-plagued operation.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em>7 Jul 2025\u00a0<\/em>&#8211;\u00a0On 2 Jul, the Associated Press released an <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/palestinians-israel-gaza-contractors-aid-distribution-fe27f3ea83e06a09d66424eed7a5d56f\" >expos\u00e9<\/a> containing short videos which appeared to show American mercenaries associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) opening fire on aid-seekers in Gaza during an incident in southern Gaza this May. The footage was supplied by a former employee of UG Solutions, a firm charged with securing GHF distribution sites.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think you hit one,\u201d one soldier of fortune says to another following a loud burst of gunfire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHell yeah, boy!\u201d another exclaims.<\/p>\n<p>In an apparent attempt to control the damage from the AP investigation, UG Solutions has distributed a pair of videos comprising over seven minutes of footage to the press.<\/p>\n<p>The newly released footage offers an unprecedented glimpse of the disturbing interactions between the starving population of Gaza and well-armed, clearly unprepared Americans hired to provide security for GHF\u2019s chaotic aid operations.<\/p>\n<p>Filmed by one of its own employee, the recordings were seemingly distributed in an effort to show UG Solutions\u2019 agents have not fired live bullets on unarmed crowds of Palestinians. According to a UG Solutions statement, the videos \u201cnot only clarify what happened, but provide critical context, which contradicts that [sic] AP\u2019s reporting and shows that the accusations are unfounded.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, a closer examination by The Grayzone demonstrates that the video was anything but exculpatory.<\/p>\n<div id=\"v-xEe5Vxl6-1\" class=\"video-player\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"VideoPress Video Player\" src=\"https:\/\/videopress.com\/embed\/xEe5Vxl6?hd=1&amp;cover=1&amp;loop=0&amp;autoPlay=0&amp;permalink=1&amp;muted=0&amp;controls=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;useAverageColor=0&amp;preloadContent=metadata\" width=\"750\" height=\"421.79487179487177\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" aria-label=\"VideoPress Video Player\" data-resize-to-parent=\"true\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>In one video, a ragtag group of mercenaries can be seen firing what they called \u201cwarning shots\u201d toward a crowd of Palestinian civilians, whom they acknowledged to be non-threatening, before radioing the notoriously trigger-happy Israeli military for backup.<\/p>\n<p>Following a series of nearby gunshots, a UG Solutions mercenary can be heard radioing the IDF to inform them, \u201cWe are firing warning shots. Warning shots \u2013 that\u2019s from us,\u201d he says. Like all others heard in the video, he speaks in an American accent.<\/p>\n<p>Seconds before the gunshots ring out, a UG Solutions agent can be seen in the lower left hand corner of the screen aiming his rifle in the direction of a crowd of aid seekers.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-132891 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thegrayzone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GHF-shooter.png?resize=1024%2C765&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thegrayzone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GHF-shooter.png?resize=1024%2C765&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thegrayzone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GHF-shooter.png?resize=300%2C224&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thegrayzone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GHF-shooter.png?resize=768%2C574&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thegrayzone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GHF-shooter.png?resize=1536%2C1147&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thegrayzone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GHF-shooter.png?resize=770%2C575&amp;ssl=1 770w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thegrayzone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GHF-shooter.png?resize=1400%2C1046&amp;ssl=1 1400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thegrayzone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GHF-shooter.png?w=2030&amp;ssl=1 2030w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"765\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" data-attachment-id=\"132891\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/thegrayzone.com\/2025\/07\/07\/new-footage-us-mercenaries-firing-gaza-aid\/ghf-shooter\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thegrayzone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GHF-shooter.png?fit=2030%2C1516&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2030,1516\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"GHF shooter\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thegrayzone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GHF-shooter.png?fit=300%2C224&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thegrayzone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GHF-shooter.png?fit=1024%2C765&amp;ssl=1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>These crucial pieces of evidence undermine claims by a UG Solutions spokesman, who <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/palestinians-israel-gaza-contractors-aid-distribution-fe27f3ea83e06a09d66424eed7a5d56f\" >told the AP<\/a> he was \u201cunaware of video showing gunfire from someone believed to be a UG Solutions contractor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While eroding the mercenary firm\u2019s defense, the UG Solutions video also underscores the shambolic state of GHF\u2019s supposedly humanitarian operations.<\/p>\n<h3>Mercenary candid camera exposes \u201camateur hour\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>In the footage, the mercenary filming acknowledges that he and his fellow guns for hire are unable to exchange even basic Arabic phrases with the starving crowds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThink I\u2019m gonna write down some\u2026 Arabic words,\u201d he says, before rattling off a series of expressions that reflected his team\u2019s lack of training and utter inability to communicate: \u201cTomorrow. Back. Go home. Stop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The mercenary tacitly acknowledges that in the absence of translation help, he and his team have been forced to rely on English speaking Gazan aid seekers. \u201cThere were a couple [Palestinians] that, like you said, spoke decent English, that were pretty helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think for the most part they don\u2019t have any mal intent, because they\u2019re desperate,\u201d the American continues, noting the absence of genuine security threats.<\/p>\n<p>A nearby mercenary chimes in, \u201cThey\u2019re desperate as fuck.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Later, the cameraman complains that refugees hauled off a light pole and a nearby tree \u2014 presumably for firewood \u2014 before grumbling that the desperate crowds took GHF\u2019s distribution tables from the site as well.<\/p>\n<p>The unsettling video seems to corroborate a high ranking UG Solutions contractor\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/palestinians-israel-gaza-contractors-aid-distribution-fe27f3ea83e06a09d66424eed7a5d56f\" >characterization<\/a> of the firm\u2019s Gaza operations as \u201camateur hour.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>US spooks and ISIS affiliates team up with Israel. What could go wrong?<\/h3>\n<p>UG Solutions splits armed operations in the besieged Gaza Strip with another US private mercenary firm, Safe Reach Solutions, which was founded by former CIA operative Philip Reilly.<\/p>\n<p>Both operate under the auspices of the Trump-aligned Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which received an <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/middle-east\/20250703-blood-for-food-us-soldier-spies-sidelining-un-aid-work-gaza-ghf-safe-reach\" >initial investment<\/a> from McNally Capital, a private equity firm founded by mapping heir Ward McNally. The Grayzone has <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thegrayzone.com\/2025\/05\/29\/israeli-mossad-gaza-humanitarian-foundation-aid\/\" >reported<\/a> that GHF also appears to have received substantial funding from Israel\u2019s Mossad and Ministry of Defense.<\/p>\n<p>The US Department of State has since <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.haaretz.com\/us-news\/2025-06-27\/ty-article\/u-s-state-department-approves-30-million-in-funding-for-gaza-humanitarian-foundation\/00000197-b080-df21-a1df-f5c880880000\" >pledged<\/a> $30 million dollars to keep the scandal-stained GHF operations afloat.<\/p>\n<p>As of July 6, 2025, over <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/amp\/news\/2025\/7\/5\/going-hungry-more-than-700-palestinians-killed-seeking-aid-in-gaza\" >700 people had been killed<\/a> at the hands of the only armed factions operating in the so-called \u201chumanitarian zones\u201d: the GHF, Israel, and the formerly ISIS-aligned clan of Bedouin gang leader <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ecfr.eu\/special\/mapping_palestinian_politics\/yasser-abu-shabab\/\" >Yasser Abu Shabab<\/a>, who was recently deputized as Israel\u2019s local enforcers.<\/p>\n<p>Several Israeli soldiers have <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/8ckH9\" >told Haaretz<\/a> that they received orders to fire at aid seekers drawn to GHF distribution hubs, causing high numbers of deaths and injuries. \u201cWhere I was stationed, between one and five people<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/o\/8ckH9\/https:\/\/www.haaretz.com\/israel-news\/2025-06-17\/ty-article\/.premium\/over-50-palestinians-killed-by-idf-near-gaza-aid-hub-hamas-run-health-ministry-says\/00000197-7d76-d717-a1df-ff76484f0000\" > were killed<\/a> every day,\u201d one soldier told the Israeli paper. \u201cThey\u2019re treated like a hostile force \u2013 no crowd-control measures, no tear gas \u2013 just live fire with everything imaginable: heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>______________________________________________<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Max-blumenthal.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-287191\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Max-blumenthal-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a> <em>The editor-in-chief of <\/em>The Grayzone<em>, Max Blumenthal is an award-winning journalist and the author of several books, including best-selling <\/em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Republican-Gomorrah-Inside-Movement-Shattered\/dp\/1568584172\" >Republican Gomorrah<\/a>,\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Goliath-Life-Loathing-Greater-Israel\/dp\/1568586345\" >Goliath<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/51-Day-War-Ruin-Resistance\/dp\/156858511X\" >The Fifty One Day War<\/a><em>, and <\/em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.versobooks.com\/books\/2868-the-management-of-savagery\" >The Management of Savagery<\/a><em>. He has produced print articles for an array of publications, many video reports, and several documentaries, including\u00a0<\/em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/killinggaza.com\/\" >Killing Gaza<\/a><em>. Blumenthal founded <\/em>The Grayzone<em> in 2015 to shine a journalistic light on America\u2019s state of perpetual war and its dangerous domestic repercussions.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Wyatt Reed is an editor at<\/em> The Grayzone. <em>As an international correspondent, he\u2019s covered stories in over a dozen countries. Follow him on Twitter\/X at @wyattreed13.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thegrayzone.com\/2025\/07\/07\/new-footage-us-mercenaries-firing-gaza-aid\/\" >Go to Original \u2013 thegrayzone.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>7 Jul 2025\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0Following an AP investigation accusing a US mercenary firm of firing on desperate Gaza aid seekers, the company has released extensive new footage in an attempt at damage control. But the video only further implicates the scandal-plagued operation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":296983,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[1854,1199,2242,87,3505,865,1966,88,715,1062,427,880,70,965],"class_list":["post-298124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-palestine-israel-gaza-genocide","tag-crimes-against-humanity","tag-ethnic-cleansing","tag-famine","tag-gaza","tag-gaza-humanitarian-foundation-ghf","tag-genocide","tag-hunger","tag-israel","tag-massacre","tag-mercenaries","tag-palestine","tag-state-terrorism","tag-usa","tag-war-crimes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298124"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":298126,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298124\/revisions\/298126"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/296983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}