(MENAFN) A former security contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has described the Israeli-run aid distribution program for starving Palestinians in Gaza as resembling a dystopian scenario like the “Hunger Games.” Anthony Aguilar, a US Army veteran, revealed in a video shared by Senator Bernie Sanders on social media that Palestinians must race and struggle intensely to reach aid sites first to receive assistance.

Aguilar detailed how Palestinians were forced to endure harsh treatment while leaving the distribution points, including being fired upon with rubber bullets, hit with pepper spray and tear gas, and subjected to shooting incidents daily.

The UN recently reported that over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces at GHF-operated aid sites since May. Aguilar stressed that his accounts are factual and not propaganda, describing how desperate aid seekers travel long distances, often barefoot through active conflict zones, to get food.

He recounted witnessing Palestinian parents carrying their children who had died from starvation, not violence or illness. Aguilar also criticized the use of excessive force and leadership neglect when he raised these concerns.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, starvation has claimed 154 lives since October 2023, including 89 children. Palestinian officials estimate that at least 500 aid trucks are needed daily to support Gaza’s population of 2.4 million.

The humanitarian crisis worsened following the Israeli military’s offensive in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, which killed around 1,200 Israelis. Israel’s campaign has resulted in over 60,200 Palestinian deaths and severe shortages of essential supplies in Gaza.

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