Hamas says 'three Zionists', including baby, mother and brother, killed in 'previous bombing' by Israel

The Al Qasam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamist group Hamas, announced this Wednesday the death of three Israeli hostages of the Argentine-Israeli Bibas family, a ten-month-old baby, his older brother and his mother, due to “previous bombings” on Gaza of the Israeli Army.

“Three detained Zionists died as a result of previous Zionist bombings (by Israel) on the Gaza Strip,” Al Qasam said in a statement, which identified the deceased as Shiri Silverman Bibas, mother of ten-month-old Kfir Bibas. – and his brother Ariel, four years old.

All of them, residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz, an Israeli community very close to Gaza, were taken captive and taken to Gaza along with the father of the family, Yardén Bibas, during the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, which resulted in at least At least 1,200 dead and more than 240 people kidnapped.

These days, after 81 hostages were released – 61 Israelis and 20 foreigners – as part of the exchange of captive children and women for Palestinian prisoners in parallel to the truce in Gaza, there was controversy over the fact that the children and mother of the Bibas family They would not have been released, as Kfir was the smallest among all those kidnapped.

A few days ago, other relatives of the Bibas family reported that they feared for their health and asked for their release in the extension of the temporary ceasefire in force since Friday.

According to the Arabic spokesman for the Israeli Army, Avichai Andraee, the family had initially been kidnapped by Hamas, but was transferred to another Palestinian armed group, which would have kept it in its power in the Khan Younis area.

“All the other children have already been released. “We don't know where they are being held” or “anything about their status,” said Ofri Bibas, sister of the father, Yardén, and the children's aunt, in a press conference yesterday.

The Israeli Army reported that it has informed the Bibas family of the Hamas publication, but has not yet been able to corroborate the veracity of the information. “The terrorist organization Hamas continues to act in a cruel and inhuman manner,” said a military spokesman, who recalled that all responsibility for the safety of the kidnapped people “falls entirely on Hamas.”

The Army recalled that Hamas still holds nine children captive and demanded that the group “immediately return them to Israel.”