The military wing of the Hamas terror organisation has announced the death of the youngest hostage held by the group in Gaza.
According to reports, the Al Qassam Brigades has claimed that an Israeli airstrike killed the three captives in the Gaza Strip, but these claims have not yet been verified.
Earlier this week, the IDF said that they believed Kfir and his 4-year-old brother Ariel had been allegedly been taken to Khan Younis under the control of a separate Palestinian militant group, believed to be the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
The aunt of 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, who is being held captive by Hamas along with the rest of his family,made a public plea for their release yesterday.
Kfir Bibas, the youngest hostage at 9 months old[Missing Credit]
Kfir has been held hostage in the Gaza Strip since the October 7 massacre, when he was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with his father Yarden, 34, mother Shiri, 32, and brother Ariel, 4. Kfir was just 9 months old when he was captured.
“We’re talking to you today because tomorrow is the last day of the current ceasefire,” Ofri Bibas-Levy told reporters. “At the moment they are the youngest hostages still remaining in Hamas captivity.”
“We don’t know where they’ve been held. From what we know, they are kept underground,” said Ofri. “We’re really worried about the 10-month-old baby with formula as the main diet.”
Ofri continued: “We call upon the Israeli government and Qatar and Egypt, everybody who is involved in these negotiations and this deal, to do whatever they can to include our family in this deal and to release them as soon as possible.”
The IDF said it was looking into the claims and spokeman Daniel Hagari tweeted: “The terrorist organization Hamas continues to act in a cruel and inhuman manner.
“IDF representatives spoke with the members of the Bibas family, informed them of the Hamas claim, and are accompanying them at this time. The IDF is examining the reliability of the information.
“The responsibility for the safety of all the abductees and abductees in the Gaza Strip lies fully with the terrorist organization Hamas.”
Kfir’s aunt, Ofri Bibas Levy, told AFP at a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Tuesday the family's fate was "directly in the hands of Hamas".
"Hamas took them and Hamas is required to bring them back now," she said.
According to a statement from the Bibas family, they are aware of the Hamas claims.
They said: “We are waiting for the information to be confirmed and hopefully refuted by military officials.
“We thank the people of Israel for their warm support, but kindly request privacy during this difficult time.”
