More than two months have passed since 10-year-old Abdulrahim “Amir” al-Jarabe’a left home to collect food at a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution site. He never returned. His family has searched hospitals, clinics, and morgues in vain. His body has never been found.
Now, a chilling eyewitness account has reignited the family’s worst fears — and raised renewed questions about the conduct of Israeli forces and the legitimacy of the controversial US- and Israeli-backed GHF project operating in Gaza.
“He kissed me and said, ‘Thank you.’ Then he walked away… and they shot him.”
— Anthony Aguilar, US security contractor at GHF site
Last week, retired US army soldier Anthony Aguilar, who worked as a private security contractor for GHF, publicly described watching Israeli forces kill Amir on May 28, during an aid distribution in southern Gaza. In an emotional interview on the UnXeptable podcast, Aguilar recalled the boy’s fragile appearance, his gratitude — and his final moments.
“This young boy, Amir, walked 12 kilometers barefoot, his clothes barely hanging on his skeletal frame,” Aguilar said. “He thanked me for the crumbs he received. He kissed me on the cheek. Minutes later, Israeli forces fired into the crowd. Amir was one of those shot.”
A Mother’s Plea
Amir’s stepmother, Siham al-Jarabe’a, told Middle East Eye the family had been holding out hope that Amir might somehow still be alive — even after weeks of silence. But after hearing Aguilar’s account, their hope has turned into grief and frustration.
“He went to get food, and he never came back,” she said. “If a dog had disappeared like this, the world would ask where it went. But because he’s a Palestinian child, nobody cares.”
Amir’s father was killed in an Israeli airstrike last December. The boy had since taken it upon himself to help the family find food in the ruins of southern Gaza. “He was full of life,” Siham said. “He just wanted to help.”
‘Bodies Are Piling Up’
The Addameer Foundation, a Palestinian NGO, confirmed this week that at least 54 Palestinians remain unaccounted for after visiting GHF aid sites. Many of them are children. According to the organization, Israeli forces have routinely blocked the recovery of bodies, and in some cases bulldozed over them.
The United Nations estimates that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access food in Gaza since GHF began operations in late May. Eyewitnesses say Israeli forces regularly open fire on civilians gathered at the sites, with little distinction between aid seekers and alleged security threats.
A “Humanitarian” Project Under Fire
The GHF was introduced in March 2025 as a replacement for traditional UN aid efforts after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu imposed a total siege on Gaza. Staffed primarily by military contractors from the US and UK, the foundation has been accused by rights groups of functioning more like a private militia than a humanitarian organization.
GHF’s first CEO resigned just weeks after operations began, citing human rights concerns. The group’s current leadership continues to defend its work and shift blame for aid chaos onto the UN. “If you can save more lives, come on,” said executive chairman Johnnie Moore during a recent appearance in Washington.
But for families like Amir’s, the promises ring hollow.
“Where is the justice for my child?” asked Amir’s cousin, Qusai al-Jarabe’a. “Where is his body?”
‘Like Squid Game’
One displaced man recently told Middle East Eye that attempting to collect food at a GHF site feels like the dystopian TV show Squid Game — where survival means risking your life in a deadly competition. “You either leave with bread or you don’t leave at all,” he said.
As the hunger crisis in Gaza deepens — with over 115 documented starvation deaths and more than 1.5 million people facing extreme food insecurity — families continue to risk everything for a sack of flour or a few cans of food.
And children like Amir — hungry, brave, and hopeful — pay the highest price.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=66333
