Anthony Aguilar

Anthony Aguilar is a retired United States Army Lieutenant Colonel and Special Forces officer (Green Beret) who served for 25 years. In 2025, he became known as a whistleblower after making public allegations about operations at U.S.-and-Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution sites in Gaza, where he worked as a security contractor for UG Solutions. His allegations of misconduct and war crimes at the aid sites sparked significant media coverage and official inquiries.

Education Aguilar holds a Bachelor of Science from the United States Military Academy (2004), an Executive Master of Science in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington (2008), and a Master of Military Art and Science from the United States Army Command and General Staff College (2014). He served for 20 years, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and becoming a Green Beret. He resigned from his position after approximately two months, later becoming a whistleblower by publicly alleging severe misconduct.

Aguilar stated that his motivation for speaking out was based on his military training and commitment to "American values," despite claiming that he and his family had been threatened. He testified about these conditions before Senator Chris Van Hollen and coordinated with fellow whistleblower and former Army Intelligence officer Josephine Guilbeau to provide testimony at a congressional hearing. UG Solutions' legal counsel stated that Aguilar was terminated on June 13, 2025, for "poor performance, volatile conflicts with staff and erratic behavior," and accused him of fabricating evidence. The GHF also released affidavits from other contractors who claimed they did not witness the events Aguilar described. The boy was identified as Abdul Rahim Muhammad Hamden (nicknamed "Abood"), nearly 9 years old. Aguilar had claimed in July 2025 that the boy, whom he referred to as "Amir" in media interviews, including with the BBC, was shot after receiving food at a GHF distribution site in southern Gaza. Aguilar accused the GHF of complicity in war crimes and described IDF troops and U.S. contractors as using "indiscriminate" force against civilians, which drew international attention. The GHF reported locating the boy and his mother through biometrics, local inquiries, and family contacts. They claimed to have confirmed his identity using photographs and video footage, including images of him in the same shirt described in Aguilar's claims, as well as a statement from the mother that the evacuation was voluntary for the child's well-being. Aguilar received an endorsement from the Anti-Zionist America PAC (AZAPAC). He rejected AZAPAC's endorsement after receiving questions from The Intercept about the use of antisemitic language by AZAPAC founder Michael Rectenwald and AZAPAC's ties to far-right figures. His campaign noted that anti-Zionists "are falsely accused on antisemitism on a regular basis... For that reason, we want to avoid being associated with any group whose statements or actions raise credible concerns of actual antisemitism."