A North Carolina political candidate is moving forward with a Green Party campaign despite having been caught spreading a fabricated account of witnessing an Israeli military shooting in Gaza.
Anthony Aguilar gained national prominence last year after claiming he witnessed Israeli forces shoot and kill a young Palestinian boy at an American-operated aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip. The incident he described never occurred, and the child he claimed was killed is, in fact, alive.
Aguilar’s emotional testimony earned him appearances on major news programs and prominent podcasts, including two interviews on the Tucker Carlson Show. He met with members of Congress, where he recounted the alleged incident in vivid detail to sitting lawmakers, including Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.
The story Aguilar told was deeply personal. He claimed to have interacted with a boy he identified as “Amir” at a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid site on May 28. According to his account, the child placed his hands on Aguilar’s face, kissed him, and said “thank you” in English before walking away and being shot dead by Israeli Defense Forces.
“I see my son’s face when I look at him,” Aguilar stated on the Tucker Carlson Show. “I didn’t get this second-hand. I didn’t see it from afar and then assume. I saw it. I touched it. I felt it.”
Subsequent investigation revealed major inconsistencies in the account. The child in question, whose actual name is Abdul Rahim Muhammad Hamden, is alive. Video evidence from the day contradicted key elements of Aguilar’s narrative.
Despite these revelations, Aguilar has launched a Green Party campaign in North Carolina. When asked about his candidacy, he positioned himself as an alternative to the two major parties.
“I stand with the 62% of Americans who want a choice outside the two-party establishment,” Aguilar stated. “By running as a Green, I can fight for the solutions people are literally dying for — like healthcare as a human right and an end to endless war — solutions the billionaire donors will not stand for.”
The case raises serious questions about the verification processes employed by media outlets and the responsibility of public figures who testify before Congress. Aguilar’s false testimony reached millions of Americans through mainstream platforms and influenced public discourse on American policy in the Middle East.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid site where Aguilar claimed to have witnessed the shooting was backed by the Trump administration. His allegations, had they been true, would have represented a significant international incident involving American operations overseas.
The matter underscores the importance of fact-checking and corroboration in an era when emotionally charged testimony can spread rapidly across media platforms. It remains unclear whether Aguilar will face any consequences for his false statements to members of Congress or the American public.
As Aguilar pursues political office, voters in North Carolina will need to weigh his documented history of making false claims against his stated policy positions. The credibility of a candidate’s past statements typically serves as an important factor in electoral decisions.
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