US-backed Gaza group says boy thought to be killed by Israeli troops was found alive

A Gazan boy whom Tony Aguilar, a former contractor with UG Solutions, claimed was killed by Israeli troops has been found alive and well, according to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is funded by the U.S. government.

Aguilar stated that Israeli soldiers killed a boy, whom he identified as “Amir,” in a “wall of bullets” on May 28 at a foundation distribution site. The Daily Wire reported on Thursday that the boy—whose name is Abdul Rahim Muhammad Hamden, and who goes by Aboud—is fine. 

The publication published video footage of the boy, who is “in a safe, undisclosed location after a false tale about his death was spread by an American contractor,” it reported.

“After interviews with family members and weeks of detective work, the boy, who actually goes by the name Abood, was found living with his birth mother after he abruptly left his stepmother’s home in July,” per the Daily Wire. “The child’s identity was confirmed through biometrics, and he remained in possession of the shirt he wore in Aguilar’s viral video.”

“When this lie was brazenly, cravenly shared from the press to the halls of Congress, our team set out to find this little boy—whatever it took,” stated Rev. Johnnie Moore, executive director of the foundation. “Not to show the truth or to prove our point, but to save the kid’s life. These lies endangered his life.” 

“Too many people, including in the press and civil society, were quick to spread unverified claims without asking the most basic questions,” Moore stated. “The public and policymakers should ask themselves what else they have heard and believed about the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation that is also a lie.”

The foundation stated that the boy was found “after weeks of high-risk efforts by GHF’s humanitarian team and American veterans, who worked closely with local community members to confirm the boy’s identity and ensure his safety.”

Aguilar was “terminated for misconduct” and “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,” the foundation stated. “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,” it said.

Aguilar was ejected from a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Wednesday after shouting from the gallery that the United States was complicit in genocide.

“Imagine the kind of person who would endanger a child’s life for 15 minutes of fame. That’s what Tony Aguilar did,” the foundation stated. “The outlets, influencers and individuals that gave him a platform, even after GHF and several journalists interested in the truth provided clear, contradicting facts, share in that responsibility.”

Mike Huckabee, U.S. ambassador to Israel, stated: “I hope the media outlets who ran the story from the discredited fired employee will issue a retraction and apology.”