EXCLUSIVE: Viral Story Of Gaza Child ‘Gunned Down’ By Israel Officially Debunked — The Boy Is Alive

The viral claim that a Gazan boy was “gunned down” by Israel’s military inside a U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation site is false. The Daily Wire has exclusively confirmed that “Amir” is alive — and in a safe, undisclosed location after a false tale about his death was spread by an American contractor.

The news that the boy is alive and unharmed debunks the claim made by former Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) contractor Tony Aguilar, who has garnered attention from politicians, major media outlets, and prominent podcasts such as the Tucker Carlson Show.

The child, who was erroneously labeled “Amir” by Aguilar but is actually named Abdul Rahim Muhammad Hamden, can be seen in footage obtained by The Daily Wire smiling and introducing himself to an interviewer.

Remember ex-GHF contractor Tony Aguilar’s claim that he saw a little Gazan boy named “Amir” run into “a wall of bullets” and suffer “a shot to the torso, a shot to the leg, dead?”

Well it’s not true. “Amir” is alive and well.

My latest for @realdailywire: pic.twitter.com/OMxdNvHIOk

— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) September 4, 2025

Aguilar set the internet ablaze with his claim that he met the boy while working at a GHF aid site on May 28, only to see him killed shortly after by the Israel Defense Forces. His account and video of the boy he called “Amir” walking up to him went viral, fueling criticism of Israel as well as the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

The Daily Wire previously reported that there were major inconsistencies in Aguilar’s story. Not only were the details he shared about their interaction inconsistent with a third party’s footage of it, but the boy’s stepmother said she had seen the boy alive for at least two months after Aguilar claimed he was dead.

In a taped testimonial, Siham Al-Jarabe’a said the boy didn’t go missing until July 28—around the same time Aguilar began telling his story in the media. He insisted that the boy was killed on May 28, and even shared details, saying he witnessed “a shot to the torso” and “a shot to the leg.”

READ MORE: New Evidence Calls Into Question Viral Story Of Gazan Boy ‘Amir’ Killed At GHF Aid Site

The Gaza Humanitarian Fund commenced a search for the boy after Aguilar began telling his story in America. GHF’s ex-military contractors — some of whom specialize in hostage rescue — and humanitarian staff took the lead, leaning on connections they had made with local Gazans since beginning operations in May, The Daily Wire has learned.

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. The child’s identity was confirmed through biometrics, and he remained in possession of the shirt he wore in Aguilar’s viral video.

Abood’s shirt seen in Aguilar’s viral video. (Courtesy)

Abood was escorted in disguise to an undisclosed safe location by the GHF team about two weeks ago for his safety.

“We’re incredibly relieved that Abood is alive and safe,” GHF spokesperson Chapin Fay told The Daily Wire. “That outcome is thanks to the heroic efforts of our team of American veterans, local Gazan staff, and humanitarians who worked quietly for weeks to find him and get him to safety. Their courage and determination saved this boy’s life.”

According to sources familiar with the operation, there was a serious concern that Abood’s life was at risk following Aguilar’s story going viral — his story is being used as a propaganda tool by nefarious actors, including Hamas, in an effort to undermine both Israel and U.S.-backed efforts to deliver food to Gazans.

Fay added that Aguilar’s false story about the boy swept through the media because outlets rushed to publish it without confirming facts.

“They owe Abood — and the public — an apology and a retraction,” said Fay, who is scheduled to hold a news conference later this morning..

Aguilar first spoke about Amir on July 28 on an American podcast called Unxeptable, which discloses on a fundraising page that it exists only to criticize the Israeli government. During the interview, Aguilar recounted how he met “Amir” at GHF’s Safe Distribution Site 2.

Aguilar said he told the boy, “People care. You’re a human being and people care about you,” before he kneeled and placed his hands on the side of Al-Jarabe’a’s face. He added that Amir responded by kissing him and saying thank you in English, before he walked away and was shot dead, Aguilar said.

Abood recently posing with a soccer ball. (Courtesy)

“He sets his food down, and he places his hands on my face — on the side of my face, on my cheeks — these frail, skeleton, emaciated hands, dirty. And he puts them on my face, and he kissed me. He kissed me, and he said, ‘Thank you,’ in English. Thank you. And he collected his items, and he walked back to the group, and then he was shot at with pepper spray and tear gas and stun grenades and bullets — shot at his feet and in the air — and he runs away, scared.”

Aguilar told the same story on several large platforms, including MSNBC, the Tucker Carlson Show, and even in an interview with a sitting Democrat Senator, Maryland’s Chris Van Hollen.

On Carlson’s show, released July 31, Aguilar went even further with the story, comparing the child to his own son.

“I see my son’s face when I look at him,” Aguilar said. “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.”

He went on to add that “Amir” was killed by the IDF.

That was all before The Daily Wire’s report last month, in which it was revealed that a review of body cam footage from an American security contractor standing next to Aguilar showed a very different interaction than what Aguilar described.

The footage shows the boy walking up to the man wearing the body cam and kissing his hand. He then turns to Aguilar and appears to ask for help convincing the crowd to let them take food. Aguilar responds by touching the boy’s shoulders and chest.

The contractor wearing the body cam told The Daily Wire that Aguilar’s story is “fabricated.”

“There is no profound English dialog, kneeling at his level, nor does the boy drop his aid to kiss Tony and say ‘thank you’ to him in English.”

Side-by-side video👇 pic.twitter.com/YaQpDmw4CN

— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) August 11, 2025

“This little young man here, obviously pretty young, he has food,” Aguilar says while recording his video. “Go home, go home, okay? Thank you.”

The little boy then walks away toward the crowd.

In response to questions ahead of The Daily Wire’s August 10 report casting doubt on Aguilar’s story, the former contractor clarified that he saw “Amir” lying motionless on the ground, but could not confirm his death.

“I saw Amir’s body on the ground, having fallen/dropped to the ground amidst the gunfire from the IDF, which was being fired toward the crowd as a crowd control measure to keep them moving in a westerly direction to the Morag Corridor as they left the site,” Aguilar said in an email. “It has always been my position that he, and others, were dead. The body wasn’t moving. Others ran or limped away. I, nor anyone, could verify that he was dead.”

“Considering that he has not been found, and he has not been seen, it is safe to say that my assessment is correct,” Aguilar added.

But following the report, Aguilar continued to tell the story in various interviews, and even added details.

In an August 23 interview streamed on YouTube, Aguilar told the story again, claiming that the boy ran into a “wall of bullets” and that he suffered “a shot to the torso, a shot to the leg, dead.”

On Wednesday, Aguilar interrupted a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, shouting that the “United States government is complicit in genocide.”

“Off to jail,” Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID) responded.

Earlier today, Retired Green Beret Anthony Aguilar — the ex-GHF subcontractor fired for “creating a hostile work environment” and who lied about key parts of his story — was escorted from a Senate hearing after interrupting and falsely accusing the U.S. of complicity in genocide pic.twitter.com/uO6OzmeN1E

— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) September 3, 2025

In a video interview with Abood, reviewed by The Daily Wire, he says he has never been hurt inside or outside a GHF site.

The GHF asserts that no incident involving IDF fire on civilians occurred at their distribution site on May 28—the day Aguilar claims. GHF added that even if such an event had happened, Aguilar would not have been able to see it, as its contractors are prohibited from leaving the secure aid sites — which are set back from the IDF positions, lack a direct line of sight, and are separated by physical barriers like berms.

The IDF told The Daily Wire that there were no casualties from IDF fire reported during the operating hours of the humanitarian aid distribution center on that day either.

The stepmother Al-Jarabe’a, who does not own a phone with an internet connection, was initially confused by Aguilar’s story, which she saw two days after she says her step-son went missing on July 28. In an interview filmed on August 5, she said she believed Aguilar mixed up his dates and actually took the footage in July instead of May. Aguilar’s work with GHF ended in June, when he was terminated by the security contractor staffing aid sites “due to poor performance, volatile conflicts with staff, and erratic behavior.”

Reports from both Al Jazeera and Middle East Eye feature edited videos of Al-Jarabe’a, in which she says she is searching for her son, without indicating that she was calling into question when he went missing.

According to GHF, Aguilar’s contract was terminated on June 13 “due to poor performance, volatile conflicts with staff, and erratic behavior.” In multiple screenshots of text messages shared with the press, Aguilar is seen both lashing out at GHF staff and requesting to be rehired. In a screenshot of GHF’s executive team chat provided to The Daily Wire, a leader reiterates on June 13 that Aguilar was fired after being given opportunities at two different locations but still receiving “negative feedback.”

Aguilar claims he was not fired, but resigned.