Jerusalem [Israel]: Israel has accused Hamas of brutally killing two young hostages, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, after their kidnapping, stating that forensic reports indicate they were murdered with “bare hands” while in captivity in Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Friday that the two children, aged four years and 10 months, were taken hostage alive on October 7, 2023, along with their mother, Shiri Bibas. However, they were later killed in cold blood by Hamas terrorists.
“Ariel and Kfir Bibas were murdered by terrorists in cold blood. The terrorists did not shoot the two young boys–they killed them with their bare hands. Afterwards, they committed horrific acts to cover up these atrocities,” said IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari in a statement.
The revelation came as the IDF confirmed that Hamas had not returned the body of the boys’ mother, Shiri Bibas. Instead, Hamas reportedly sent the body of a Gazan woman, later claiming it was a mix-up due to an Israeli airstrike, as reported by The Times of Israel.
Hagari refuted Hamas’s claim, stating, “Contrary to Hamas’s lies, Ariel and Kfir were not killed in an airstrike. Ariel and Kfir Bibas were murdered in cold blood by terrorists.”
The killings have sparked international outrage, with U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz condemning the act as “pure evil.”
“The Bibas children were murdered at the hands of Hamas and NOT accidentally bombed. Pure evil. Keeping the Bibas family and all Israelis in our prayers for this unspeakable violence. Hamas must be destroyed,” Waltz wrote on X.
Hagari stated that the children were killed in Gaza “no later than November 2023,” about a month after Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also expressed deep sorrow over the deaths, holding up a photo of the two children and vowing justice.
“Here is a photo of the Bibas brothers. These perfect children, again, were four years old and less than one year old when the Hamas savages snatched them from their mother’s arms,” Netanyahu said.
“She fought like a lioness to protect her boys. Just imagine their horror. Imagine their confusion. Perfect little children who never hurt a soul. A baby, for the love of God. They languished in captivity until Hamas murdered them in cold blood. Who kidnaps a little boy and a baby and murders them? Monsters. That’s who.”
Netanyahu pledged to bring those responsible to justice, stating, “And as the Prime Minister of Israel, I vow that I will not rest until the savages who executed our hostages are brought to justice. They do not deserve to walk this earth. Nothing will stop me. Nothing.”
The tragic deaths of the Bibas brothers have intensified global condemnation of Hamas, as tensions in the region continue to escalate.