Israel has uncovered a video of Shiri Bibas and her two children — including the youngest hostage being held in Gaza — from the early days of the war in what is the first sign that the trio even survived Oct. 7.
The Israel Defense Forces released the video Monday after first showing it to the family of Shiri, 1-year-old Kfir and 4-year-old Ariel.
They were told the video — which shows the captives arriving in Gaza — was found in a tunnel or hiding spot, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The footage is from the early days of the war in what is the first sign that the mother and sons even survived Oct. 7.
IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the mother was kidnapped with her children and brought to an outpost in Khan Younis. IDF
Horrifying video showed Hamas gunmen kidnapping Israeli mom Shiri Bibas and her two young sons.
IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Bibas was kidnapped with her children and brought to an outpost in Khan Younis, where they were detained by a terror group called Kataib Mujahadin, according to the outlet.
The mother was forced by terrorists to wear a piece of cloth with Kfir probably attached in a sling underneath it, while Ariel followed her, Hagari said.
The terrorists then forced the trio into a vehicle and took them to another location, he said.
“From the information available to us, we are concerned for the safety of Shiri and the children, and we will not rest until we bring them home,” the spokesman said.
Yarden and Shiri Bibas and their kids, Kfir, 1, and Ariel, 4. Yifat Zailer / Facebook
Hamas terrorists transport Yarden Bibas to Gaza after kidnapping his family. APHagari stressed that Hamas is the sole responsible party for the Bibases.
After the press briefing, the family said in a statement, “These videos tear our hearts out. Witnessing Shiri, Yarden, Ariel and Kfir, ripped away from their home in Nir Oz into this hellscape, feels unbearable and inhumane.
“Kidnapping children is a crime against humanity and a war crime. Ariel and Kfir are victims of monstrous evil. Our whole family has become hostages along with all the hostages,” they said, according to the Jerusalem Post.
“We desperately call on all decision makers in Israel and worldwide involved in negotiations: Bring them home immediately. Make it clear to Hamas that taking children is beyond the pale. Prioritize the return of these children first and foremost in any agreement,” they continued.
Kfir is the youngest person kidnapped by Hamas and became a symbol of the cruelty of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Family handout“We want to thank the public in Israel and worldwide who support us, and ask you to continue the struggle for their return home,” the family added.
Hamas has claimed that the 32-year-old woman and her kids were killed during an Israeli strike without offering proof, and the assertions were never verified by Israeli authorities.
The family patriarch, Yarden, also was taken hostage but was separated from his wife and children.
“We are hoping that they will return to us as soon as possible and that the government will do everything possible,” family member Jimmy Miller told Ynet.
“These two children and their parents were supposed to be released during the first stage of the November cease-fire, and while this did not happen, the minimum would have been for them to be released in a humanitarian gesture. We are already expecting everything, the best and the worst,” he added.
Hamas later put a cruel propaganda video featuring Yarden sobbing as he claimed his wife and kids were killed in an Israeli airstrike. The IDF has declined to comment on a probe into the claim.
The Bibases were filmed being taken from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz — and Kfir and brother Ariel, who became known as “The Reds,” served as a symbol of the heartbreaking cruelty of that day.
