A US Army veteran and former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), Anthony Aguilar, has come forward with a harrowing account of a boy’s death at an aid distribution site in Gaza. According to Aguilar, the boy, identified as Amir, walked 12km to collect food but was fatally shot moments after receiving aid. Aguilar shared photos of Amir, describing him as a small child no older than 10 or 12. “He puts out his hand, and so I beckoned him to come to me. I said, ‘Come here.’ And he reaches out and he holds my hand, and he kisses my hand and he says, ‘Shukran [Thank you]'”, Aguilar recounted.
Aguilar’s testimony also highlighted the chaotic and deadly situation at the aid distribution site, where “pepper spray, tear gas, stun grenades and bullets” were shot into the air and at the feet of Amir and the crowd of aid seekers still gathered. As the last group of people, including women, children, and babies, left the site, Aguilar said he could hear machine gun fire from the Israeli army. “They’re shooting to control the population that’s along the Morag Corridor. And as they’re doing that, they’re shooting into this crowd, … and Palestinians, civilians, human beings, are dropping to the ground, getting shot,” he said. Aguilar emphasized that Amir was one of the victims, stating, “Amir walked 12km to get food, got nothing but scraps, thanked us for it and died”.
This incident is part of a larger crisis, where over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed seeking aid since the GHF began operations in late May. The total death toll in Gaza since the war began on October 7, 2023, has reached at least 60,249 Palestinians. At least 154 people, including 89 children, have died of malnutrition, with reports indicating a “worst-case scenario of famine” unfolding.
The GHF has faced criticism for its role in distributing aid, with Aguilar’s account adding to the growing outrage. French Foreign and European Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemned the GHF, saying it has “generated a bloodbath” in Gaza. Barrot described the militarized distribution of humanitarian aid as “a scandal which is shameful and has to stop”. The UN has also warned that the aid flow remains deeply insufficient, leading to more scenes of deadly desperation.
The situation in Gaza is dire, with 2.1 million people facing prolonged food shortages and nearly half a million in a catastrophic situation of hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness, and death. The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed concern over the increasing number of malnutrition cases, particularly among children and pregnant women. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that “people are already starving, sick and dying, while food and medicines are minutes away across the border”.
Key Developments:
- Famine Thresholds: Two out of three famine thresholds have been reached in Gaza, with plummeting food consumption and acute malnutrition being the two met criteria.
- Child Malnutrition: Over 20,000 children have been treated for acute malnutrition, with at least 16 children under five dying from hunger-related causes since mid-July.
- Humanitarian Access: The UN has called for full access across Gaza to reach vulnerable populations, emphasizing that the current aid flow is insufficient.
- International Response: The international community has expressed outrage, with 25 countries issuing a joint statement demanding an immediate ceasefire, unconditional release of Israeli hostages, and unrestricted humanitarian access.