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"A starving 5-year-old Amir walked 12 kilometers to collect food at the food distribution center in Rafah run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, and it is heartbreaking. He approached me and took a bag, but he had nothing to put in it.
Then Amir extended his hand, and I thought he wanted more aid. I extended mine to him and he kissed it and said, "Thank you."
I looked at this little boy, barefoot, starving, barely clothed, and said, 'Someone cares for you?'
I was kneeling on my knees, and Amir approached me, held my head in his thin, dusty hands, and said, "Thank you." He then left, carrying the small amount of food he had taken from me.
Moments later, the Israeli army opened fire on the hungry crowds who had come to collect the food, and they fell in front of me one by one. Among those whose bodies were pierced and killed by bullets was this child, Ameer."
The above statement is a testimony by a US eyewitness The Resonance. He is a retired Lt. Col. who was serving as a contractor with Gaza Humanitarian Fund in Rafah.
Aguilar, who served for 25 years in the U.S. Army Special Forces as a Green Beret, told the BBC he personally witnessed war crimes while working alongside Israeli forces and U.S.-backed personnel at the food distribution center sites. He described scenes of Israeli troops firing on civilians, which was echoed in Haaretz and confirmed by an AP report.
After witnessing the war crimes committed in Gaza by both the IDF soldiers and US mercenaries, Anthony Aguilar submitted his resignation in protest. Anthony Aguilar is a brave man, a hero, and a whistleblower. This veteran is a courageous man of integrity. He is a leader Americans need to see more of. Anthony Aguilar needs to be protected by the US government for possible eyewitness in front of the Interantional Criminal Court of Justice.
Finally, I have read in the past about:
* The five U.S. Army soldiers' gang-raped and murdered a 14-year-old Iraqi girl Abeer in 2006.
* The sadistic behavior of US troops in Abu Ghraib prison.
* The torture and water boarding at Guantanamo Bay Prison camp.
* Who can forget about the flushing of a copy of the Qur'an in a toilet at that notorious concentration camp.
* And last but not least, the image of US Marines urinating on the body of an Afghani fighter.
* But this is quite contrary and unbelievable in defense of innocent people in Gaza. However, it sadly expected eyewitness accounts after 23 months of genocide.
I am surprised President Trump has not yet invited this honorable veteran to the White House for a chat, as this man represents America's patriotic face.
Mahmoud El-Youseph is a Palestinian freelance writer and retired U.S. Air Force veteran. He writes on U.S. foreign policy, Middle East affairs, and justice. Email: elyousseph6@yahoo.com