Former U.S. soldier Anthony Aguilar, who served at an aid distribution center run by the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” in Gaza, shared a story about a child named Amir who kissed his hand after receiving aid and was later reportedly killed by Israeli gunfire.
The story gained widespread attention on social media, and a photo of the child circulated extensively.
However, Siham Shoufi Al-Jaraba’a, the mother of the child whose photo appears in the video and who Aguilar referred to, told Kashif that the information shared about her son is inaccurate.
Detailing that her son’s real name is Abdul Rahim Mohammed Al-Jaraba’a, not Amir. And that the widely circulated photo was taken on 28 July 2025, not 28 May 2025, in the Al-Shakoush area of Tal Al-Sultan, west of Rafah.
She added that the child’s fate remains unknown. The mother has received no confirmation of whether Abdul Rahim has been injured, detained, or killed.
Al-Jaraba’a stated that Abdul Rahim is 10-years-old, born on 16 October 2016. She said that it was his first time going to the aid distribution point in Al-Shakoush, and he never returned. She was shocked to see the soldier post his photo along with unverified information on 29 June 2025.
Still holding on to hope, the mother visited the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s aid distribution center on Tuesday, 5 August 2025, but was unable to obtain any new information.
