What the media learned about a little boy and a lie

Today, the news of eight-year-old Abdul Rahim Muhammad Hamdene, known as “Abboud”—revealed to be alive and safe, and with his mother outside of Gaza, confirmed what many of us suspected but few dared to say out loud. 

And yet, for months, the world was told otherwise. A gripping story, delivered by a former US Green Beret contractor, claimed that Abboud was shot dead by the IDF at a humanitarian aid site. His story changed multiple times—first SDS-1, then SDS-2, then SDS-3—but the narrative stuck. Headlines blared. Politicians repeated it. Anti-Israel activists seized on it as proof of Israeli brutality.

The reality? Abboud was likely not shot, but likely tear-gassed and pepper sprayed. The former US Green Beret was also constantly changing the stories and naming different GHF stations that Abboud may have been at. The former Green Beret was terminated in June after an investigation was launched.

The damage was already done.

Here’s the truth that too few will admit: when it comes to Israel, the world is eager to believe the worst. No fact-checking required. No pause for evidence. The mere suggestion of Israeli wrongdoing is enough to go viral.

Now that Abboud is confirmed alive, where’s the outrage over the misinformation? Where are the viral posts correcting the record? Where are the same voices who shared the “dead child” story, rushing to apologize or retract? Nowhere. The truth never travels with the same speed as the lie. And that is not an accident—it’s the product of a media ecosystem and international discourse that treats Israel with a uniquely hostile double standard.

Let me be clear: I am not here to whitewash war. Civilians have died in Gaza, and every loss of innocent life is a tragedy. But this case proves something I’ve seen time and again: Israel is judged as the oppressor and the world refuses to acknowledge the facts as they are. The bar for accusing Israel of atrocities is astonishingly low, while the bar for correcting those accusations is impossibly high.

The reactions online are mixed. When Fox News released the video of Abboud alive, many dismissed it. One Reddit user sneered: “Fox ‘News’ is a constant source of misinformation… and getting something maybe right by accident.”

Another mocked: “Fox News suddenly cares about misinformation.” That’s the level of cynicism we’re dealing with—proof of a child’s survival isn’t celebrated, it’s spun, doubted, or ignored.

This isn’t just frustrating—it’s dangerous. Every false story that circulates adds fuel to the fire of antisemitism. It delegitimizes Israel in the eyes of the world. It erodes the moral standing of the Jewish state, while strengthening those who see every war, every defense, and every action by Israel as inherently criminal.

Abboud’s survival should have been a rare bright spot—a reason for joy in a conflict defined by pain. Instead, it became another casualty of the propaganda war and the media manipulation. And that, to me, is heartbreaking.

As a journalist, creator, activist, and writer, it is deeply concerning and disappointing to observe that the mainstream media, which often professes to prioritize and uphold the truth and accuracy of facts. In practice, it does not consistently adhere to these principles. This discrepancy between their stated values and actual behavior raises significant questions about the integrity and reliability of the information being disseminated to the public. It is crucial for media outlets to genuinely commit to fact-based reporting to maintain public trust and ensure that citizens are well-informed on important issues.

I’ll say this plainly: if you claim to care about Palestinian lives, then accuracy matters. If you claim to care about justice, then truth matters. Two things can be true at once, but what is factual and evident means that it has already been proven. 

But when lies about Israel are spread unchecked, they don’t just harm Israel—they harm Palestinians too. Because peace cannot be built on a foundation of falsehoods.

So yes, I rejoice that Abboud is alive. But I refuse to ignore what his case represents: a world all too ready to condemn Israel on the flimsiest of evidence, and all too reluctant to admit the wrongdoing on their end.

And until we hold media and politicians accountable for that double standard, I fear this won’t be the last time a false narrative overshadows the truth.