Fifty-eight days after his abduction to the Gaza Strip, the Daily Mail released a moving video on Sunday showing 4-year-old Ariel Bibas looking on lovingly at his newborn brother Kfir for the first time ten months ago and embracing him.
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Jimmy Miller, cousin of Shiri Bibas, mother of the two children held by Hamas, chose to share the video with British media. His goal is to amplify international pressure for their safe return to Israel.
Despite Hamas' unconfirmed claim that Shiri, Ariel and Kfir were no longer alive, Miller informed the Daily Mail that the family remains hopeful.
They know that kids are sensitive to people all over the world and I think this is the reason they are trying to play with us," he told the Mail. "We are being as optimistic as we can and just praying for some good news."
The day after the statement regarding Shiri, Ariel and Kfir, Hamas released a video showing Yarden, the family's father, reacting to the news of his family's alleged demise. Ynet chose not to publish Yarden’s statements made in the video, which were clearly scripted by his captors.
"[I]n the video, you can see Yarden is in a bad [shape], he looks like he has lost 20kg,” Miller told the Mail. "He looked as if he had been given something psychotic and he didn’t look his usual self. We just hope it isn’t true and they are just playing with us.”
The image of a frightened Shiri Bibas clutching her two small, red-headed children while being taken captive by terrorists from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz has become one of the most synonymous visuals with the tragic events of October 7. Ariel and Kfir Bibas remain the last children yet to be released from Hamas captivity.