A Palestinian child who was said by a media-friendly “whistleblower” to have been murdered in cold blood by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza has turned up alive and well, living in hiding with his mother.
As Breitbart News reported in July, a military contractor named Tony Aguilar, who had been fired by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), turned against the group and was embraced by anti-Israel media.
Sen. Chris van Hollen (D-MD), a leading opponent of Israel in Congress, made Aguilar his star witness in accusing Israel of war crimes. Among those accusations: that IDF soldiers murdered a boy named “Amir.”
The claim was embraced by those seeking to discredit the GHF, which is backed by the U.S. and works with Israel to provide humanitarian aid in Gaza that is not stolen by Hamas — unlike United Nations aid.
Now, however, the claim has fallen apart, as “Amir” has turned out to be alive. Fox News reported Thursday:
A young Gazan boy dubbed “Amir,” who traveled to a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution site and was reported as having been killed by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in May, has been found alive and was hiding out with his mother.
In an exclusive interview with the boy whose real name was confirmed by the GHF to be Abdul Rahim Muhammad Hamden, but who goes by “Abboud,” the 8-year-old and his mother answered questions provided by Fox News Digital through a GHF translator, in which the pair appeared excited ahead of their planned extraction from the Gaza Strip.
Abboud and his mother, whose name is Najlaa, were safely extracted from the Gaza Strip on Thursday, though the location has not been disclosed in this reporting for their protection.
Once the false claim of the boy’s murder had been made, he was forced to hide, as Hamas had an interest in killing him.
In a statement Thursday, the GHF explained how it had identified and rescued the boy:
“We are overjoyed and deeply relieved that Abood is safe, and that this story ends in hope. That outcome was never guaranteed and it’s thanks to the courage and persistence of our team of American heroes; veterans who never stopped working to find him and bring him to safety in the most complex environment imaginable,” said Executive Chairman Rev. Johnnie Moore. “While this story ends happily, it could have ended in tragedy. Too many people, including in the press and civil society, were quick to spread unverified claims without asking the most basic questions. The public and policy makers should ask themselves what else they have heard and believed about GHF that is also a lie. When a child’s life is at stake, facts must matter more than headlines. Thank God we were able to save him.”
Tony Aguilar, a former contractor terminated for misconduct, fabricated a story alleging that a young boy named “Amir” had been shot and killed by the IDF on May 28 after seeking aid at a GHF site. Aguilar repeated these claims in multiple media appearances, describing in vivid and false detail the boy’s supposed last moments. Aguilar circulated photographs of the boy across global media, knowingly misrepresenting their interaction and changing the story with each telling.
Video evidence, however, later revealed that Aguilar’s only interaction with the child was brief and dismissive, instructing him to “Go home.” Abood returned home unharmed. But Aguilar’s lie went viral—shared by journalists, influencers, and even elected officials, putting the boy and his family in possible danger from Hamas.
GHF immediately launched a discreet search for the boy. Through trusted community relationships, the organization traced him to his extended family and ultimately to his biological mother. His identity was confirmed through multiple methods, including biometrics and the clothing he wore the day Aguilar falsely claimed to witness his death.
The successful effort involved extensive coordination with the U.S. Embassy in Israel and regional governments, who worked with GHF to ensure Abood’s safe relocation.
The GHF has distributed over 150 million meals directly to Palestinians since launching in Gaza in May.
“In late July, when Mr. Aguilar took his lies public, he splashed photos taken of the boy across global media, knowingly misrepresenting his interaction to create a false viral story. That publicity placed the child and his family squarely in the crosshairs of Hamas, who have benefited greatly from Mr. Aguilar’s lies and the media amplifying them. If the boy was proven alive, it would unravel their propaganda, expose Mr. Aguilar’s lie, and discredit a narrative that Hamas has used to stoke outrage and violence,” stated GHF Spokesperson Chapin Fay in a press conference today.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Zionist Conspiracy Wants You, now available on Amazon. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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