Negotiations for a Gaza truce are overshadowed by news of the death of an Israeli hostage family.
Negotiations for a Gaza truce are overshadowed by news of the death of an Israeli hostage family. Written by Mohammed Salem, Maayan Lubell, and Nidal Al-Mughrabi GMT+7 November 29, 20239:46 PM23 minutes ago November 29, 2014 (Reuters) - An unfounded claim by Hamas that a 10-month-old Israeli captive and his family had died cast a shadow over last-minute talks between Israel and Hamas to prolong the Gaza truce on Wednesday. The armed branch of Hamas announced just before the truce's last release of women and children that the youngest hostage, infant Kfir Bibas, together with his mother and four-year-old brother Ariel, had perished in an earlier Israeli bombardment. Their father has been detained as well. The family was among the most well-known civilian hostages to be released, so Israel said it was investigating the potentially explosive accusation. The Hamas statement could not be independently verified by Reuters. After the parents and kids were left out of the penultimate grou