American contractors guarding Gaza aid centers run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) admitted to opening fire on Palestinians near distribution points, according to an Associated Press investigation published Wednesday.

Two anonymous contractors for the United States-based security firm UG Solutions told the AP they saw colleagues throw stun grenades, use pepper spray and fire live rounds at Palestinians seeking food.

“These are innocent people being hurt. Badly. Needlessly,” one contractor said.

Disturbing videos provided by the contractors show security staff discussing crowd control, followed by gunfire and cheering.

“I don’t want to be too aggressive,” one says in the footage. “This is calming down.” A round of gunfire follows, then someone shouts, “Whoo! Whoo!”

“I think you hit one,” another says. “Hell yeah, boy!” a voice responds.

Other clips show Palestinians running through fenced corridors amid gunfire. In one, a stun grenade explodes near tightly packed civilians.

One contractor said a Palestinian once pleaded, “We have come here to get food for our families. We have nothing. Why does the [Israeli] army shoot at us? Why do you shoot at us?”

The AP said it could not independently verify the full scope of the claims, but the footage and testimonies align with Palestinian eyewitness accounts.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed near aid centers since May 27, with most gunfire reportedly from the Israeli military. Recent reports suggest American contractors have also fired shots.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have acknowledged some casualties. Last week, 51 Palestinians were reportedly killed near a GHF site and United Nations aid trucks. The IDF said it would investigate, though both the military and GHF have generally denied firing on civilians.

The U.N. has repeatedly condemned the GHF since it launched in May after a nearly three-month Israeli blockade halted aid. The privately-run organization, backed by the United States and Israel, says it has distributed more than 50 million meals in Gaza.

Amnesty International on Thursday accused both Israel and GHF of “starving civilians as a weapon of war.” Israel’s Foreign Ministry rejected the charge, saying the group was “joining forces with Hamas.”

A GHF spokesperson told the AP that many have a “vested interest” in discrediting its operations, discrediting the plethora of reports of gunfire around its centers.

The AP investigation follows a similar report published last month by Israeli newspaper Haaretz, in which IDF soldiers said they were ordered to fire on Palestinians near aid sites.