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Israel war 2023
Hamas has released a propaganda video of Israeli hostage Yarden Bibas — one day after the terror group claimed his wife and two young children were killed in an IDF airstrike.
The chilling video was uploaded on social media and features the 34-year-old father in tears as his captors inform him that his children, 10-month-old Kfir Bibas and 4-year-old Ariel, have been killed along with his wife and wife, Shiri Silverman-Bibas, 32.
Bibas goes on to blame the death of his wife and children on Israel, pleading with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow their bodies to be returned to Israel.
Hamas claimed in a statement released with the video that it had offered to release the bodies of Shiri and her children to the IDF, but that the Israeli military allegedly refused.
IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari refuted the claims and reiterated that Hamas’ testimony regarding the fate of the Bibas family has not been verified.
“The Hamas terrorist organization presented harsh documentation of Yarden Bibas,” Hagari said of the latest propaganda video. “Our hearts are with the entire Bibas family. We will continue to return all our captives.
“Hamas employs psychological terror against the families of the captives,” Hagari added. “Its purpose is to exert pressure, to harm our resilience.”
The Bibas family was abducted from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7., with a haunting video released days later showing the moment the family was taken by the terrorist group.
The family had been hiding in their safe room during the invasion.
Bibas texted his family, “They’re coming in” before they were taken, the New York Times reported.
Infant Kfir is the youngest hostage captured by Hamas.
He and his sibling, both sporting bright red hair, became known as “The Reds,” a symbol of the brutal terrorist attack that kicked off the Israel-Hamas war.
On Tuesday, Israeli officials said Hamas had handed the family over to another Palestinian faction which was holding them in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza where the fighting has been less intense.
But a day later, Hamas claimed that Shiri, Kfir and Ariel were all dead, attributing it to an Israeli airstrike without offering evidence.
The Bibas family put out a statement on Wednesday that they were waiting on Israel’s investigation over the claims of the mother and children’s death.
“We thank the Israeli people for the warm embrace but we ask to maintain our privacy in this very complex moment,” the family said.
