Key Takeaways
- The Hamas hostage crisis resulted in the tragic murders of four-year-old Ariel Bibas, his one-year-old baby brother Kfir, and 84-year-old Oded Lifshitz
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to bring justice to those responsible for the hostage crisis
- Many hostages have been rescued, but some tragically could not be saved
In an official statement, released on Friday, February 21, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking on the tragic murders of four-years-old Ariel Bibas, his one-year-old baby brother Kfir, and that of 84-years-old Oded Lifshitz, said, ‘Today is a tragic day, it is a day of boundless sorrow, of indescribable pain. Four-years-old Ariel Bibas, his baby brother, one-year-old Kfir, and 84-years-old Oded Lifshitz were brutally murdered by Hamas savages.
‘Their bodies return home to a nation in mourning. A nation that will never forget and never forgive the evil that cut down these beautiful souls. On October 7th, a devastating day when Hamas killed 1,200 of our loved ones, Israel held out hope for the survival of our hostages’, Netanyahu added.
He further spoke, ‘Against all odds, we succeeded to bring many home. Some we rescued. Some we tragically could not. The Bibas children in particular became the symbol of who we are, and who we are fighting against.’
Holding a picture of the young victims, the Israeli Prime Minister said, ‘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. 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.’
‘These Hamas monsters also cynically refused to bring back the boys’ mother, Shiri, and sent the body of a Gazan woman instead, in brazen violation of the agreement. Today the heavens shake. The entire civilized world should condemn these horrific murders. The entire civilized world should join Israel in demanding the immediate release of all the hostages. All of Israel is united in grief. 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’, Netanyahu asserted.
He stated, ‘Ariel, Kfir and Oded, I am so sorry we could not save you from the monsters who did this. We honor your kind and loving souls, so tragically cut down by evil terror. May your memories forever be a blessing and a reminder to all of us that we must fight this evil and eradicate it from the face of this earth’.
