Israel News: Gaza child once declared dead revealed to be alive

 

Gaza child once declared dead revealed to be alive

An eight-year-old boy once claimed to have been killed by the IDF in Gaza was found alive, safely extracted with his mother. He spoke in an interview with Fox News, which was published on Thursday.

By Jerusalem Post Staff, September 4, 2025

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-866369

An eight-year-old child in body camera footage covered by a GHF worker (R) and after being extracted from the enclave on September 4, 2025 (L). (photo credit: SCREENSHOT/VIA SECTION 27A OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT)

An eight-year-old boy, who a former Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) worker claimed was shot dead by the IDF at a humanitarian aid site in May, has been found alive and in hiding with his mother, Fox News revealed on Thursday.

The boy, nicknamed "Amir," who also goes by the name "Abboud," was formally identified as Adbul Rahim Muhammad Hamdan by GHF. Hamdan, along with his mother, spoke to Fox News Digital with the aid of a GHF translator in the build up to their extraction from the Gaza Strip.

Hamdan and his mother, named by Fox News as Najlaa, were safely extracted from the Gaza Strip on Thursday, but their location has not been disclosed for their safety. In the interview, they appeared excited of the prospect of their then-upcoming extraction, with Hamdan telling the interviewer that "Outside the Gaza Strip is nice."

GHF on Thursday held a press briefing outlining the incident in full. In the briefing, GHF spokesperson Chapin Fay confirmed that "the young boy falsely claimed to have been killed by the IDF and misidentified as “Amir” by former UG Solutions contractor Tony Aguilar is alive and safe...He has been safely relocated with his mother to a secure, undisclosed location."

This "comes 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," she added.

GHF launched a discreet search for the boy "immediately," utilizing "trusted community relationships" to trace him, she noted.

The search was coordinated with the US Embassy in Israel, as well as regional governments, to ensure Hamdan's extraction, she added.

Former GHF contractor claims IDF shot child at aid site

Former UG Solutions contractor and retired Green Beret Lt.-Col. Anthony Aguilar claimed he saw Hamdan, whom he named "Amir," shot dead by IDF soldiers at an aid site in May. Aguilar was subcontracted to GHF.

The IDF denied Aguilar's claims, which he revealed during a BBC interview in July. GHF also dismissed Aguilar as a “disgruntled contractor.”

“I witnessed the IDF firing into a crowd of Palestinians,” Aguilar told the BBC. “I witnessed the IDF firing a main gun round from a Merkava tank into a crowd of people, destroying a car full of civilians that were simply driving away from the site.”

“In my entire career, I have never witnessed – until I was in Gaza – the level of brutality and use of indiscriminate and unnecessary force against an unarmed, starving civilian population at the hands of the IDF and US contractors,” he continued.

He claimed that the IDF fired a "shot to the torso, a shot to the leg – [and then he was] dead."

However, Hamdan, his mother, and other relatives were identified by facial recognition software that compared images of the child, along with biometric data, which the organization shared with Fox News.

In this footage, he was seen "playfully interacting" with a GHF staff member after arriving at an aid site with his mother in August.

The mother smuggled her child to the aid site due to family members being threatened by Hamas terrorists, a GHF representative told Fox News.

"My son and I suffered a lot. But we thank God. I thank everyone who helped me and stood by me," the mother was cited by Fox News as saying.

GHF head 'overjoyed, deeply relieved' child is alive, safe

GHF Executive Chairman Rev. Dr. Johnnie Moore celebrated that Hamdan is safe, stating on behalf of GHF, "We are overjoyed and deeply relieved that Aboud is safe, and that this story ends in hope."

"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. Not to show the truth or to prove our point, but to save the kid’s life," he commented.

"While this story ends happily, it could have ended in tragedy," he added.

"When a child’s life is at stake, facts must matter more than headlines. Thank God we were able to save him," he concluded.

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