The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Wednesday that it is investigating claims by Hamas that a mother, her child, and her infant are dead after being taken hostage from the Israeli community of Kfar Aza by Palestinian terrorists during the October 7 attack.
On Sunday, as Breitbart News reported, baby Kfir Bibas, who was nine months old at the time of his abduction, was not among the hostages slated for release — nor were his mother, Shiri, or his four-year-old brother, Ariel. A video of their abduction, made by Hamas to advertise its own atrocities, became one of the iconic visuals of the October 7 attack, in which 1,200 were murdered.
Israelis have become heavily invested in the fate of the trio, with their now-iconic red hair. The IDF said Sunday that it believed Hamas had transferred Kfir, his mother, and his brother to another terrorist faction, and that it had somehow lost track of them.
On Wednesday, Hamas said that they had been killed in an Israeli airstrike. Israel could not confirm that report; past reports of the deaths of hostages had turned out to be erroneous. However, in a statement, the IDF said that it was investigating the report:
During the Hamas massacre of October 7, the Bibas family, including 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, his 4-year-old brother Ariel Bibas, and their mother Shiri Bibas — were kidnapped alive into Gaza.
The barbarism and cruelty of Hamas is on full display to the world. IDF representatives spoke with the Bibas family following the recent reports and are with them at this difficult time. The IDF is assessing the accuracy of the information.
Hamas is wholly responsible for the security of all hostages in the Gaza Strip. Hamas must be held accountable. Hamas’ actions continue to endanger the hostages, which include nine children. Hamas must immediately release our hostages.
The IDF, along with other security agencies, will continue to accompany the Bibas family, as well as all families of the hostages and missing persons.
A six-day “pause” to allow the release of hostages in exchange for a lull in fighting is set to expire at midnight at Wednesday’s end.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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