The Israeli military has uncovered video of Shiri Bibas and her two young children — including the youngest hostage being held by Hamas – from the early days of the war.
The Israel Defense Forces has shown the footage of Shiri, 1-year-old Kfir and 4-year-old Ariel to their family, who were told the video was found in a tunnel or hiding spot, the Jerusalem Post reported.
A family spokesperson said the video shows the captives “arriving in Gaza alive. Hamas is the one solely responsible for the safety of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir,” according to the Times of Israel.
The video was expected to be published later Monday by the IDF with the consent of the family.
“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 ceasefire, 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 previously 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.
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.