No Clear Information About 10-Month-Old Israeli Hostage Kfir or Family, Says Rep: 'It's Just Horrendous'

Hamas claimed the baby, his four-year-old brother Ariel and their mother Shiri Bibas were killed in an Israeli airstrike without sharing evidence

The fate of a 10-month-old baby kidnapped by Hamas with her mother and brother during the October 7 attack on Israel remains unknown.

Hamas claimed on Wednesday that the Kfir baby, Ariel, 4, and their mother, Shiri Bibas, were killed in an Israeli airstrike, but provided no evidence, multiple media outlets reported this week. A disturbing video, detailed by CNN this week, has since been released by Hamas and shows a distraught Yarden Bibas, the children’s father, who is currently being held hostage in Gaza. In the video, he reacts when he is told that his wife and children are dead.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement shared with NBC News this week that it was investigating the claims of the three deaths. An IDF spokesman also described the video this week as “an act of psychological terror,” according to CNN.

On Friday, a representative of the Bibas family, Ophyr Hanan, called the latest news and the video “horrific” in an interview with PEOPLE.

“It’s horrible. It’s just horrible,” Hanan says.

“On the one hand, these videos are a sign of life,” she adds. “On the other hand, we know that they are used as psychological terror against families. So what should we feel? Should we be happy that he’s alive or completely devastated that he thinks his family is dead?”

Shiri Bibas and Yarden Bibas, abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023. About 150 members of the French Union of Jewish Students (UEJF) put up posters of some Israelis kidnapped by Hamas to draw attention to their fate in Paris, France on October 15, . in 2023

Sipa via AP Images

Hanan says the extended Bibas family has no reliable information on whether the red-haired mother and her young children are alive or not. Kfri is the youngest of the estimated 240 hostages initially taken by Hamas. About 136 remain in Gaza, AP reported Friday.

“We’ll believe it when we see them dead or alive,” she says, citing examples such as Emily Hand, 9, and Hannah Katzir, 77, who were both believed to be dead before being released from captivity alive.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas broke down on Friday, devastating the families of the remaining hostages, including Yarden.

“We don’t want any of this,” Hanan says. “We don’t want the war to continue. We do not want the ground infiltration to continue. We want the ceasefire to last as long as possible so that the hostages can be freed by any means possible and by any means necessary.”

Protesters and relatives of the Israeli Bibas family hold balloons and placards during a rally calling for the immediate release of the family from Hamas militants on November 28, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance via Getty

Family of 6 freed Israeli hostages describes ‘very difficult times’ for children after 50 days of captivity in Gaza

On Friday, Hanan attended an event in Los Angeles for the families of the hostages that included Itay Raviv, whose great uncle Abraham Munder, 78, remains in captivity in Gaza. Several members of his family, including nine-year-old Ohad Munder, were released earlier this week, according to multiple sources.

“Three members of my family were released last Friday,” says Raviv. “That’s what gives us hope and we know it’s possible.”

His great uncle, he explains, tried to close the door to the safe room in his house as the terrorists arrived. “Abraham” is not in very good health, he has balance problems. He walks with a cane. He can barely see,” says Raviv, emphasizing that the male hostages should not be forgotten. “They suffer too. They hurt too. And we have to (release) them quickly. They don’t have time.”

(Left) Itay Raviv holds a photo of his great uncle Abraham Munder, 78; Ofir Weinberg holds a photo of his 38-year-old cousin Itai Svirski (right).

Andrea Mandell

Arnold Schwarzenegger reacted to the harrowing escape of a teenager from Hamas: ‘I’ve never dealt with anything like this’

Like other family members gathered, relatives of hostage Itai Svirsky, 38, held photos of him as they spoke, sharing harrowing details about how Svirsky was forced into captivity after witnessing his mother’s murder.

“Last week we had some new information about Itai, because the hostages who were with him were released,” says Naama Weinberg. “Itai is alive. We could still save him. He was not injured during the attack.”

But after witnessing his mother’s death, “he is in a very bad mental state,” she explains. “He thinks he has no family to return to, he doesn’t know that his brothers and sister survived. He doesn’t know that our grandmother survived. He assumes that his father was also killed. He is very anxious and now he is left alone in captivity with such thoughts, not knowing if the next time they will open the door and execute him. And that’s the thought that’s been running through his head for 56 days.”

The relatives called for a united US push to return the hostages, stressing that freeing civilians is not about choosing sides. “This is a human rights issue, a humanitarian issue,” says Raviv. “Anyone who stands up for human rights should support this cause.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education