Whistleblower Claims Israeli Forces Killed Boy After Receiving Aid at GHF Site in Gaza

Anthony Aguilar, a former U.S. Army Special Forces officer and contractor for the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), has alleged that a young Palestinian boy named Amir was fatally shot by Israeli forces moments after collecting aid. In a recent interview with Israeli activist Offir Gutelzon and journalist Noga Tarnopolsky on the *UnXeptable* podcast, Aguilar recounted the tragic incident that took place at a GHF aid distribution point in southern Gaza on May 28, 2025.

Aguilar described Amir, a frail boy appearing no older than 10 or 12, who walked 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) barefoot and in tattered clothes to collect a small amount of aid. “He reached out, held my hand, kissed it, and said, ‘Shukran [Thank you],’” Aguilar recalled. However, as Amir and other aid seekers, including women and children, began to leave the site, Israeli forces allegedly opened fire with pepper spray, tear gas, stun grenades, and bullets to control the crowd along the Morag Corridor. “They’re shooting into this crowd, and Palestinians—civilians, human beings—are dropping to the ground, getting shot,” Aguilar said. “Amir was one of them. He walked 12km to get food, got nothing but scraps, thanked us for it, and died.”

Aguilar, who resigned from his role at GHF after witnessing what he described as “war crimes,” told the BBC that he had never seen such “brutality and use of indiscriminate and unnecessary force against a civilian population, an unarmed, starving population” in his 25-year military career. He criticized the GHF’s operations as “amateur, inexperienced, and untrained,” claiming the aid sites, located in active combat zones, were deliberately designed to endanger civilians According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid at GHF sites since the organization began operations in late May 2025, replacing the United Nations-led aid system. The ministry also reports that at least 60,249 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began on October 7, 2023, with 154 deaths, including 89 children, attributed to malnutrition amid a worsening famine. Israel maintains that the GHF system is necessary to prevent Hamas from diverting aid, though a U.S. Agency for International Development analysis and Israeli military officials have found no evidence of widespread aid theft by Hamas. Amid rising international criticism and reports of starvation, Israel recently agreed to allow other agencies to resume aid deliveries to Gaza. However, the United Nations warns that the current aid flow remains insufficient, with local health sources reporting at least 15 aid seekers killed on July 31, 2025. The GHF has rejected Aguilar’s allegations, claiming he was “terminated for misconduct” and is spreading “false narratives” after failing to be rehired. GHF spokesperson Chapin Fay cited text messages showing Aguilar’s threats to be the organization’s “worst nightmare” and alleged he falsified a memo raising concerns about crowd management. Despite these claims, Aguilar denies being fired and insists his testimony reflects the reality on the ground.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemned the GHF, stating that its “militarized distribution of humanitarian aid” has “generated a bloodbath” and called for its discontinuation. Over 100 humanitarian organizations have echoed this demand, urging a return to the UN-led aid system to address Gaza’s escalating famine crisis.