A Gazan boy whom an American contractor had alleged was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers has been found alive, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said, and the contractor has been dismissed for fabricating the account.
The foundation, which receives U.S. government funding, said the child is Abdul Rahim Muhammad Hamden, who goes by Aboud, and that he was located in a safe, undisclosed location after interviews with family members and what it described as weeks of investigative work. The allegation that soldiers had killed a boy named “Amir” at a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution site on May 28 was made public by Anthony Aguilar, a former contractor with UG Solutions. The foundation said Aguilar was "terminated for misconduct" after the story was found to be false.
The Daily Wire published video footage that it said showed the boy in a secure location after the claim of his death circulated. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said the false report had been spread by the former contractor and prompted the organization to carry out interviews with family members to verify the child’s whereabouts.
The foundation, in its statement, identified the discrepancy between the contractor’s account and the findings of its inquiry and said it had taken internal measures, including terminating the contractor’s engagement. The organization did not provide a public timeline for when the family interviews began or when the child was located, beyond describing the search as involving "weeks of detective work." The Daily Wire said the footage confirmed the child was alive; the foundation and the publication both described the child’s location as undisclosed for safety reasons.
The incident underscores challenges faced by humanitarian organizations and journalists trying to verify reports in the Gaza Strip amid ongoing conflict, where access, communications and security are often constrained. Humanitarian groups operating in the area have frequently warned that casualty figures and incident reports can be difficult to corroborate in real time, and that inaccurate accounts can circulate rapidly on social media and through informal channels.
UG Solutions did not immediately respond to requests for comment through publicly available channels. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which administers aid distributions in parts of Gaza and receives funding from international donors including the United States, said it would pursue further steps to prevent similar incidents and to strengthen verification of reports tied to its operations.
The foundation’s disclosure follows a pattern in recent months of scrutiny over how battlefield information and civilian casualty claims are gathered and shared. Independent verification remains a central concern for governments, aid groups and media organizations covering the conflict, and the foundation’s statement highlighted the potential consequences of false reports for aid operations and for families affected by the fighting.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation did not provide additional details about disciplinary action beyond the contractor’s termination, and said it would continue to safeguard the child and the family while coordinating with relevant protection actors and donors. The child’s family did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and officials in Israel did not issue a statement addressing the specific claim cited by the contractor.