A Letter to Amir

In the midst of the ongoing suffering in Gaza, a heartbreaking testimony has surfaced through the voice of retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Aguilar, a former Special Forces officer who served for 25 years.

In early 2025, Aguilar came forward as a whistleblower, exposing the horrific operations of the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) - a U.S.- and Israeli-backed aid program that, according to his accounts, was complicit in the systematic starvation and targeting of Palestinian civilians.

Among the many tragedies Aguilar witnessed, one encounter left an indelible mark on his soul: a young boy named Amir, who had walked over 12 kilometers barefoot and starving, hoping to collect food aid. Aguilar recounted how the frail child approached him, kissed his hand, and whispered "Shukran" - only to be killed moments later by Israeli gunfire as the aid crowd dispersed.

Moved by this powerful testimony, Brother Ershad Khan penned "A Letter to Amir" - a poetic elegy that captures the anguish, innocence, and eternal dignity of Gaza's children. The poem is a heartfelt conversation between the living and the martyred, between conscience and silence.

Through its verses, Khan reminds us that Amir's story is not just one of tragedy, but of enduring faith - that beyond the rubble and pain, there awaits the eternal garden promised by Allah, where Amir and countless others now rest in peace.

In memory of Amir - a young boy from Gaza whose story moved the heart of a U.S. veteran and awakened the conscience of the world. Through this poem, Brother Ershad Khan gives voice to the voiceless and light to those who now dwell in eternal peace.

Dear Amir,

I know you are
Peacefully roaming
Among the eternal gardens
With your loved ones
In endless bliss

A feeling that was unknown to you -
A basic, normal life
That you utterly missed
In this short-lived, hellish
Life of yours
That was filled with
Constant moving,
Displacement,
Raining bombs, poisonous air,
Ruthless drones,
And monsters who didn't care...

Didn't care
About your extreme hunger,
Loss of childhood,
Your innocence.

Flattened your home
In a blink of an eye,
Buried your beloved
Family and friends.

But today is a good day -
A happy news I wanna share with you:
Today I met with the brave soul
Whose hand you kissed,
Whom you barely knew.

An American soldier
With stellar achievements,
An even greater heart
And conscience.

He passionately shared
Your story -
How you walked that day,
Barefoot... emaciated... alone,
Many miles down from Khan Yunis
With ever-presence of
Devilish drones.

He looked into your gloomy eyes
And realized
There's no food left for you.
He offered from his own -
A stranger, whom you hardly knew.
You kissed his hand, said "Shukran,"
Caught him off-guard,
Let his tears run...

And that was your last happy moment
On Earth,
When targeted bullets flew,
Throwing your body in dirt.
It shook him to the core,
Shattered his heart...

Now he travels around,
Shares your story,
To keep it embedded
In our collective memory.

So rest in peace
In our Creator's hand -
We will carry the torch
To free your beloved land.