A new investigation by the Associated Press has uncovered disturbing details about American military contractors operating in Gaza under the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a U.S.-based group tasked with distributing aid. Video footage and eyewitness testimony suggest these contractors—many of them former U.S. soldiers—have repeatedly opened fire on Palestinians seeking food, raising serious concerns about the militarization of aid and the true role of U.S.-backed groups on the ground.
The footage, leaked by two whistleblowers working with the foundation, shows security forces using live ammunition, stun grenades and pepper spray on crowds, often without any visible threat. One contractor described bullets being sprayed in every direction, hitting civilians who were simply trying to access food. Audio from the video confirmed that machine gun fire came from within 150 meters of civilians, far from any Israeli military positions, pointing to deliberate acts of intimidation rather than chaotic crossfire.
GHF was incorporated in Delaware in early 2025 with support from the Trump-aligned U.S. administration and the Israeli government. It was originally headed by Jake Wood, a former Marine sniper and founder of Team Rubicon, a disaster relief group. Humanitarian organizations and the UN have accused the foundation of politicizing aid, with many saying it operates as a front to undermine the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which plays a central role in supporting Palestinian refugees.
Wood stepped down in May, citing internal concerns over neutrality. He was replaced in June by Johnny Moore, a politically connected evangelical figure with ties to the White House and Christian Zionist networks. His appointment has only heightened suspicion that the foundation’s real mission is to push a political agenda rather than provide relief.
In this episode of State of Play, journalist and Middle East analyst Robert Inlakesh joins Greg Stoker to unpack what’s really going on. He argues that while some of the American contractors in Gaza are driven by profit or a thirst for combat, the bigger picture points to a coordinated Israeli effort to sideline UNRWA, erase the refugee issue from international discourse, and reshape Gaza’s future under tight external control.
The AP report dropped just as new claims surfaced that the U.S. may be preparing to supply Israel with B-2 bombers for possible strikes on Iran. Against this backdrop, the presence of armed American contractors in Gaza distributing aid with live rounds starts to look less like humanitarian work and more like a battlefield campaign carried out by other means.
As the situation in Gaza deteriorates, and as groups like GHF fill the vacuum left by international agencies, the line between aid and occupation continues to blur, with deadly consequences for Palestinians.
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Greg Stoker is a former US Army Ranger with a background in human intelligence collection and analysis. After serving four combat deployments in Afghanistan, he studied anthropology and International Relations at Columbia University. He is currently a military and geopolitical analyst, and a social media “influencer,” though he hates the term.
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