Kfir Bibas, an Israeli baby who is 10 months old, was still being held captive on Monday while Hamas began the process of releasing a fourth set of hostages. 

The terror group freed almost 70 of its captives as a result of the agreement to prolong the cease-fire by at least two days. 

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Who is Kfir Bibas?

Kfir Bibas is thought to be the youngest among approximately 240 individuals abducted during the unexpected attacks on October 7, which claimed the lives of 1,200 people and triggered the ongoing conflict between the two sides.

As per reports, Hamas no longer holds Baby Kfir, who was taken captive along with his elder brother and had just started to crawl. 

They were part of the group that was moved to “other organizations,” according to a Monday statement made to Arabic media by an Israeli military official. According to a message on X (formerly Twitter), Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Col. Avihai Adrei stated that one of the factions in the Khan Younis area, Gaza, is currently holding the “babies with the red hair”. 

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The Israeli public broadcaster Kan’s Arab affairs correspondent, Roi Kais, observed that certain factions are creating roadblocks and delays in the ongoing negotiations.

In an incident where Hamas gunmen overran the area and killed or kidnapped about 25% of the 427 residents, Kfir, his 4-year-old brother Ariel, and their parents, Yarden and Shiri Bibas, were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz.

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On October 7, militants from Hamas launched an unexpected attack on Israel via air, land, and sea infiltration. Due to fears of a growing conflict and a significant death toll on both sides of the Israel-Gaza border, the area is currently on high alert. 

Over 1,200 people have died and 6,900 more have been injured in Israel, according to the prime minister’s office. 383 Israel Defense Forces soldiers have been reported killed since October 7, with 68 of those deaths occurring since the ground campaign began.