WASHINGTON / GAZA – A former U.S. Special Forces officer has come forward with harrowing eyewitness accounts of Israeli atrocities against unarmed Palestinian civilians in Gaza, describing the acts as war crimes.
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Aguillera, who was recently stationed in Gaza as part of a U.S. security mission, has revealed that Israeli forces used excessive and indiscriminate force under the guise of food aid operations. He stated that Israeli tanks, mortars, and artillery shells were fired directly at civilian vehicles, including one operated by an unarmed driver.
According to Aguillera, he chose to leave Gaza after witnessing his own U.S. and Israeli counterparts engage in brutal attacks on starving civilians seeking humanitarian aid. “In all my years of service, I’ve never seen this level of cruelty,” he said, calling the incidents clear violations of international humanitarian law.
“There was no military threat — only desperate civilians. What I saw qualifies as war crimes, beyond any doubt,” he said in a shocking statement.
The former officer’s testimony has surfaced amid mounting global criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, where over 59,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 120,000 injured since October 7, 2023.
Human rights organizations have long accused Israeli forces of weaponizing aid — using food deliveries as bait and then targeting civilians who emerge in search of it. This strategy, experts warn, has intensified famine conditions, with children and elderly dying due to starvation or while attempting to access aid.
Meanwhile, international pressure continues to grow for an immediate ceasefire and an investigation into alleged war crimes. However, talks mediated by the U.S. and other countries remain stalled, and aid convoys have been repeatedly blocked or attacked, worsening Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.
As calls for accountability rise, the former U.S. officer’s testimony is likely to fuel further scrutiny of American support for Israel’s military campaign.