10-month-old allegedly missing or held captive in Gaza

Kfir Bibas is 10 months old and has spent over a fifth of his life as a captive. His cute face and red hair show the pain and suffering of Israel’s hostage families.

Kfir was taken by Hamas militants from his home in southern Israel over 50 days ago. His family still doesn’t know if he is safe or even alive.

“We are very worried about him,” said Eylon Keshet, a family member, as he held a picture of the baby boy.

“We don’t know if he can do it. ” Every day he stays there, his life is in real danger.

Kfir, his little brother Ariel (who is 4 years old), their mom Shiri and maybe their dad Yarden were taken from Nir Oz, an Israeli kibbutz that was really hurt when it was attacked by Hamas fighters on October 7th. The attackers killed many people and kidnapped many others. They also destroyed homes and stole things.

Hamas killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel, most of them were not soldiers. This was the biggest attack on Israel since the country was created in 1948.

A scary video of the Bibas family being taken away was one of the first shocking moments of the day. Shiri held her children tightly, and Ariel was still using his pacifier. The kids are quiet and not crying while their mom, who is scared, is being surrounded by Hamas fighters. She has a blanket around her. Keshet said their grandparents died in the attack.

The boys’ dad was hit by a hammer, his sister said. We don’t know how he is or where he is right now. Yarden’s cousin Keshet says that the family thinks Yarden was taken away from his wife and kids, because they saw some videos.

Keshet said it doesn’t make sense for anyone to let this continue. That’s wrong and cruel. “I’m really frightened. ”

Hamas had more than 200 people they were keeping as captives in Gaza before they were released through talks with Israel. Groups of Israeli citizens and other people, mostly women and children, have been released every day since last Friday because of a new peace agreement.

In Gaza, more than 14,800 Palestinians have been killed, including 6,000 children, since Israel started attacking in response to Hamas terror attacks on October 7. These figures come from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the West Bank, which gets its information from health authorities in Gaza run by Hamas.

As part of an agreement to stop fighting, Israel has let go of Palestinian women and children who were in jail. Many of them were never accused or given a punishment.

The first four-day break from fighting was made longer by two more days on Monday. This gave the families of the hostages who were released a chance to share their experiences of being held captive.

On Monday, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said that the Bibas family is not currently being held captive by Hamas. This makes it harder to free them.

Hamas is in charge of Gaza, but there are also other groups like Palestinian Islamic Jihad that do things there.

Kfir, Ariel, and Shira are not on the list of people who will be let go. About eight children are still being kept by Hamas, and their sad faces have made the country mourn and ask for them to come back.

More than 100 people met in Tel Aviv and released orange balloons into the sky to remember the two Bibas boys and their mother. Photos from the agency show the event.

Kfir’s young age has gotten a lot of attention and concern in Israel. The baby boy was still drinking milk from a bottle and couldn’t eat solid food yet when he was taken.

“Keshet said she needs baby formula and is very worried about Ariel’s health. ”

“Ariel is a very delicate child and has a lot of medical problems,” he explained. “She is four years old and has a skin condition that requires treatment. ” “He is a very energetic kid who really enjoys playing with cars and tractors,” he said.

Shiri’s cousin, Yifat Zailer, has been feeling sad and worried recently.

“The small bit of hope we have helps us keep going,” she told CNN. We are begging for our family to be set free.

Every day, Zailer wants her family to be on the list of hostages who will be set free.

A 10-month-old baby is still being kept against their will. He is in danger of losing his life. She said that children should not be used as tools or held hostage. Her face looked thin and her eyes looked sad.

“I hope this will end soon, and we can start to fix our completely broken life here. “