The Israeli army said on Wednesday it was “reviewing” the announcement by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas about the deaths of a 10-month-old baby, the youngest of the hostages kidnapped on October 7, his mother and his four-year-old brother. Years.
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The army is “verifying the accuracy of the information” and its representatives have “spoken to the Bibas family,” it said in a statement.
“The responsibility for the safety of all hostages in the Gaza Strip lies with Hamas, which is endangering the lives of the hostages, including nine children. Hamas must return them immediately,” the army added.
The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, announced in a press release on Wednesday the deaths of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, who were killed “during a bombardment of the Gaza Strip” by Israeli forces.
AFP
The death of one hostage, Hanna Katzir, 76, was previously announced by Islamic Jihad, an Islamist movement allied with Hamas that is holding certain hostages in Gaza, but she was eventually released on November 24, the first day of the ceasefire through an agreement to exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
The images of the kidnapping of the Bibas family – the father, mother and two children – from Kibbutz Nir Oz have become a symbol of the October 7 violence in Israel.
Mother Shiri, her face contorted with fear, can be seen hugging her, wrapped in a blanket, her two red-haired children, terribly silent, Kfir, then 9 months old, and Ariel, 4 years old.
AFP
At almost the same time, father Yarden was taken towards the Gaza Strip by armed Hamas fighters with a bleeding head.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari recently stated that the two children and their parents were being held by a Palestinian group other than Hamas.
“Hamas took them and now Hamas has to bring them back. They are responsible for their health and their freedom is directly in the hands of Hamas,” Ofri Bibas-Levy, Yarden’s sister, told AFP on Tuesday.
Shiri’s sister Dana Siton told AFP that “every day that passes puts her in danger.”
Kibbutz Nir Oz had around 400 residents: 35 were murdered on October 7th and 80 were kidnapped, 31 of whom had been released since their release.