The footage captures Bibas reacting to the alleged news of his wife and children’s demise in an Israeli airstrike.
The Hamas military wing has disseminated a video featuring Yarden Bibas, the Israeli man abducted alongside his family on October 7 from Kibbutz Niz Or
The family, including Bibas, his wife Shiri, and their two children Ariel and Kfir, had been held in an undisclosed location in Gaza. On Wednesday, the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas military wing, claimed that Israeli bombing in the Gaza Strip had resulted in the deaths of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir. However, there is no independent confirmation of these casualties or the circumstances surrounding them. The Mujahideen Brigades, affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a Hamas military wing ally involved in the October 7 attack, also issued a statement blaming Israel for the tragedy.
The announcement by the Al-Qassam Brigades has ignited a war of words between the two sides, with both Hamas’ military wing and Israel accusing each other of violating the terms of a recent ceasefire. Despite the ceasefire, allegations persist regarding Zionist missiles targeting detainees, leading to the deaths of family members and captors.
Hamas military wing additionally released a distressing video featuring Yarden Bibas, who had just learned about the alleged deaths of his family. The video condemned widely online as a form of psychological warfare, has sparked outrage for its cruel portrayal of Bibas in captivity mourning his wife and children.
The release of such content has raised ethical concerns, with observers questioning the authenticity of the news and whether it is part of a deliberate psychological warfare strategy
Article 13 of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which prohibits acts of violence, intimidation, and public curiosity towards captives, comes into play. Some hope the videos are misleading, Admiral Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, emphasized the lack of verification for the claims made in the footage, urging caution in accepting the presented information as fact.