A woman kidnapped by Hamas commandos who attacked Israel on Oct. 7 has given birth in Gaza, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a letter released Wednesday by the head of government's office.
"One of the women kidnapped by Hamas was pregnant. She gave birth to her baby in captivity," Sarah Netanyahu wrote in the letter addressed to U.S. First Lady Jill Biden.
The letter states that among the hostages Hamas took to the Gaza Strip are 32 children, including a 10-month-old baby.
Israeli authorities never reveal the identity of the hostages, but according to the Hostage Families Forum it is Kfir Bibas, who was 9 months old when he was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with his 4-year-old brother Ariel and his parents Yarden and Shiri.
"We must speak on behalf of those children. We must call for his immediate release and that of the other hostages," Sarah Netanyahu said in her letter.
In the October 7 attack, Hamas commandos killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped 239, according to Israel's tally.
Since then, Israel has been bombing Gaza incessantly, in an offensive that Hamas says has killed more than 11,300 people, 4,600 of them children.
Relatives, friends and supporters of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza take part in a march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Photo: EFE
Qatar is acting as a mediator to try to obtain the release of hostages in exchange for a truce and the release of Palestinians held in Israel.
U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he saw a deal as possible, although Israeli leaders are cautious about it, reiterating that their goal is to "annihilate" Hamas and free all hostages.
Source: AFP
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