The armed wing of Hamas claims that 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, his four-year-old brother and their mother, who were being held hostage, were killed during an Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, writes The Guardian.

Baby Kidnapped by Hamas – Poster in BucharestPhoto: Hotnews / Clarice Dinu

The Bibas family has repeatedly called for their release.

Kfir was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with his four-year-old older brother Ariel, their mother Shiri and father Yarden. He was the youngest of approximately 30 children taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7 attack on Israel.

The Israeli military said it was verifying the Al-Qassam Brigades’ claim. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later released a new statement on Telegram regarding baby Kfir Bibas, but did not confirm whether he had been killed.

“During the Hamas massacre on October 7, the Bibas family, including 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, his 4-year-old brother Ariel Bibas, and their mother, Shiri Bibas, were abducted alive in Gaza. The barbarity and cruelty of Hamas has been exposed to the whole world. After the latest reports, IDF representatives spoke with the Bibas family and are with them during this difficult time. The IDF assesses the reliability of the information,” the message reads.

The Israeli army emphasizes that the Hamas movement “bears full responsibility for the safety of all hostages in the Gaza Strip.”

“Hamas must be held accountable. The actions of Hamas continue to threaten the hostages, including nine children. Hamas must immediately release our hostages. The IDF, along with other security services, will continue to be with the Bibas family, as well as all the families of the hostages and the missing,” the IDF said in a statement, according to News.ro.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Wednesday morning that 161 people captured in the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel are still being held hostage in Gaza, CNN reported.

According to the cited source, four hostages are children under 18 years old, four are 18 and 19 years old, and another ten people are over 75 years old. Of the 161 hostages, 15 are foreign nationals and 146 are Israelis, some of whom have dual citizenship.

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