What Did Hamas Do To The Children It Kidnapped?

As part of a temporary "truce agreement" between Israel and Hamas, both parties agreed to an exchange.

Hamas, the proscribed terrorist organisation that has governed Gaza since 2007, agreed to free 10 Israeli civilians for each day that a ceasefire is held.

Those who have been released from Hamas captivity, have been predominantly women and children.

The Israelis were kidnapped by Hamas during its on-the-ground massacre of more than 1,200 civilians on October 7.

Soon after, the IDF reported that more than 240 people were taken during the assault, including children as young as 10 months old.

As part of the agreement, Israel said it would release 150 Palestinian prisoners who were being held in jails, awaiting trial for crimes stretching from minor acts to attempted murder and murder.

Qatar, which mediated the deal with Egypt, has since announced that the pause in fighting has been extended by two days, until Thursday this week.

A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of Qatar, Majed Bin Mohammed Al-Ansari, said that the extended ceasefire was agreed under the same conditions as before – Hamas will release one Israeli captive for the freeing of three Palestinian prisoners.

Eitan Yahalomi, a 12-year-old boy who was released from Hamas' capture on Monday night, told his family that he was forced to watch Hamas' "horror videos" during his 52 days as a hostage.

The young boy, along with other children, was made to watch videos of the atrocities committed and filmed by Hamas on October 7, his aunt, Deborah Cohen, told reporters.

"Hamas forced him to watch films of the horrors, the kind that no one wants to see, they forced him to watch them," his aunt said.

The children repeatedly watched "all of the footage", Cohen confirmed.

While watching a movie-like montage of Israeli civilians being raped, beheaded, burned alive and murdered, the 12-year-old aunt also revealed: "Every time a child cried, they would threaten him with a weapon to shut him up."

The 12-year-old boy was met with physical and psychological tests at an Israeli hospital, before he was returned to his family home and greeted by his mother and two sisters, aged 10 and just 20 months old, who managed to escape Hamas' grip on Oct 7.

"When he arrived in Gaza, all the residents, everyone, they beat him. He is a 12-year-old boy. We are talking about a 12-year-old child," Cohen added.

"Maybe I am naïve, but I wanted to hope they treated him well", Yahalomi's aunt explained, going on to say: "Turns out no. They are monsters."

Kfir Bibas, a 10-month-old baby, has been named as the youngest child who was kidnapped by Hamas during its brutal assault.

The infant was just nine months old when he was captured alongside his four-year-old brother, Ariel Bibas, their mother, Shiri Bibas and their father, Yarden Bibas.

Despite video footage of the red-headed youngsters being taken by militants into the Strip, the family is yet to be released and Hamas said that they had no account of their whereabouts.

In one of the videos, the boys' father, who was kidnapped separately, is surrounded by Palestinian militants while his head pours with blood.

After the "truce agreement" was announced, Hamas reported that the family were being held by a different terror group.

R Adm Daniel Hagari, Israel's Chief Military Spokesperson, also confirmed that the family were traded to the PLFP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) in Gaza.

Today, however, Hamas claimed that baby Kfir, Ariel and their mother were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza.

Yarden Bibas' sister, Ofri Levy Bibas, explained: "We don't know if they're alive now, or if they're dead, or if they're being tortured. I don't know if my brother got any care for the bleeding on his head."

Questioning whether her family had been killed, she added: "I don't know if 4-year-old Ariel is eating properly or being fed. I don't know if they're giving the baby formula."

"The accountability for their well-being falls squarely on Hamas. I ask Hamas - who do you consider your enemies? To abduct children – what does this say about your principles? Does Islam sanction such actions?," the Bibas' relative said while declaring answers to her nephews' whereabouts.

While Kfir has already spent almost a fifth of his life in the hands of Hamas, protests have erupted in Tel Aviv, calling for the Bibas family to be located.

"There's a 10-month-old baby that is still being held captive. His life is at risk. No child should be pawned or held as leverage," said Shiri Bibas' cousin, Yifat Zailer.

Zailer concluded: "Hopefully this will be over soon, and we can somehow go on to repair our shattered – completely shattered – life here."