Report: US contractors say their colleagues fire live rounds as Palestinians seek food in Gaza

American contractors guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades, according to accounts and videos obtained by The Associated Press.

Two US contractors, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were revealing their employers' internal operations, said the security staff hired were often unqualified, unvetted, heavily armed and seemed to have an open license to do whatever they wished.

"There are innocent people being hurt. Badly. Needlessly," the contractor with military experience said.

Leaked videos filmed by a contractor at the sites show hundreds of Palestinians packed between metal gates, scrambling for aid as gunfire, stun grenades and pepper spray are used. In other clips, English-speaking men are heard discussing ways to break up the crowds and urging each other on after shots are fired, the AP said.