Gazans Fed 'Like Dangerous Animals in a Safari': Leaked Videos, Satellite Images Show Chaos at Food Aid Hubs
Rare footage obtained by Haaretz offers a harrowing glimpse into the chaos and cruelty at Gaza's aid distribution points: To the sound of constant gunfire, Gazans scramble to secure food for their families in what has become the Strip's brutal aid 'Olympics,' where only the strongest and fastest survive
They appear gradually beyond the horizon, running – a few, then dozens, and then masses. The young people arrive first, all of them holding sacks. Ushers wearing blue vests and face masks speak to them in Arabic, "Slowly, slowly, from here," says one of them. "There's no sugar or flour today," says another. The sun hasn't even risen yet.
In another video clip, countless people move between concrete barriers. Some of them climb on the dirt ramparts. A happy teenager dances with a box labeled "premium onions" and smiles at the camera. "Thank you, America," he shouts. Behind him, masses of people are looking for food. Packages from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation are on the ground. Residents unpack them feverishly, putting products into their sacks. Others are dragging entire packages on wooden pallets or by bicycles.
Chaos reigns over everything. In the background, one can hear shooting; sometimes nearby, sometimes distant. Occasionally one hears the workers demanding that people take one package per person, but nobody writes down who took what. In any case the workers have no chance of managing such a list, even if they wanted to.
In one of the videos, a man wearing glasses turns to the photographer. The food has run out, and he's begging for help in a hoarse voice. "You're the best in the world. Hamas scares me, Hamas scares my family. America, help me, please. Give me one package of food, only one. If there's no package, give me money – 100 shekels, please."
The video clips, which were obtained by Haaretz, were filmed over the course of two weeks in late May and early June, in one of the GHF food distribution compounds in Gaza. The photographer is Lt. Col. Anthony Aguilar, a retired U.S. Army special forces (Green Berets) officer. He was hired as an operations manager by UG Solutions – a private American security company that operates armed guards around the world and was contracted by GHF to secure its compounds. He documented the first days of the opening of the facilities, which were also the deadliest days. According to Gaza's Ministry of Health, 230 people were killed and hundreds were wounded on their way to and from the GHF compounds during Aguilar's deployment.
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