Egyptian journalist says Sinai businessman helped rescue Gaza child seen carrying brother

Egyptian journalist Khaled Abu Bakr, known for his close ties to decision-making circles, claimed Monday that Sinai businessman Ibrahim al-Arjani was behind the rescue of a Palestinian boy whose image carrying his younger brother amid Gaza’s destruction went viral worldwide.

In a Facebook post, Abu Bakr praised al-Arjani and the Sinai Tribes Union, saying they pledged to care for the children once they reached Egypt.

“I called Hajj Ibrahim al-Arjani and told him we wanted to reach these two children. He told me that state agencies would bring them back. ‘Give me two days,’” Abu Bakr wrote. He added that al-Arjani had promised: “If they reach Egypt, I will take care of them.”

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اتصلت بالحاج ابراهيم العرجاني
قولتله عاوزين نوصل للطفلين دول .. اعرف ان اهل سيناء لهم علاقات ممتده داخل غزة
قالي أجهزة الدولة المصرية هي اللي هاتجيبهم اديني يومين
واوعدك لو وصلوا مصر هما في رقبتي

يومين وقدرنا نوصلهم
وهما الان تحت اشراف مصري
الحمد لله
شكرا… pic.twitter.com/GWbYXcR9kj

— المحامي خالد ابوبكر- KHALED ABOU BAKR (@ABOUBAKRLAWFIRM) September 22, 2025

The widely shared photo and video showed Jadou, about 10 years old, carrying his younger brother through rubble and smoke as their family was displaced. The image, described online as that of a “little father,” came to symbolize the suffering of Gaza’s children amid the mass displacement of more than 1.9 million Palestinians since Israel’s genocide began in October 2023.

The Egyptian Committee for Supporting the People of Gaza later announced it had located Jadou and his brother after extensive efforts. The children were transferred to a humanitarian shelter where they received food, medical, and psychological care. The committee said the intervention came under direct instructions from President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who ordered comprehensive support for Palestinian children affected by the war.