(NewsNation) — Hamas has reportedly claimed the youngest hostage taken during the Oct. 7 attack, a 10-month-old baby, and his family are dead.
The Bibas family, including baby Kfir and his mother Shiri and four-year-old brother Ariel, were taken hostage from the Nir Oz kibbutz during the attack. It’s not clear when the family may have been killed, though Hamas said they died in an Israeli bombardment.
Israeli Minister Benny Gantz said he has met with the Bibas family to offer support while also calling the unconfirmed reports part of “psychological warfare” by Hamas.
The Israel Defense Forces have been working to verify the claim but have not independently confirmed the deaths of the family.
Roughly 240 hostages were taken during the Oct. 7 attack, and Israel believes around 159 are still being held in Gaza. Hamas has released a total of 81 hostages during a temporary cease-fire and hostage exchange, 60 of whom are Israeli and 21 foreign nationals.
An additional ten hostages are expected to be released Wednesday. Negotiators say it is possible that the temporary pause will be extended again, with 10 hostages released for each day the cease-fire holds.