‘We are people of peace, it is so sad this happened to us’

By Alessandra Buzzetti - TV2000 and InBlu Radio

The youngest, named Kfir Bibas, is just nine months old. With him are at least 20 other children being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza; the number of people brutally kidnapped by terrorists on the morning of 7 October in the towns and kibbutzim on the border with the Gaza Strip is updated day by day, as soon as the Israeli authorities have sufficient elements to identify them. As of Monday evening, the list numbered 222 names. There are entire families held hostage in the Gaza quagmire.

Maayan Sigal-Koren has five family members who have been kidnapped by Hamas: Her mother Clara, 62, who has spent her life as a kindergarten teacher and caring for the elderly; Clara's partner, Luis, 70; her brother, Fernando, 60; her sister Gabriela, 59, who runs a farm near Jerusalem with projects to support disabled children; and her niece Maya, 17.

They were kidnapped in Kibbutz Nir Yithak, where Clara and Luis lived and where other relatives were visiting for the Sukkot holiday.

The last contact was made at 11:04 am on 7 October, from Luis's mobile phone, informing his daughter that he was locked with the others in the bomb shelter. Then, shouts in Arabic are heard, and the sound of gunshots and objects being smashed on the ground. “They’ve entered the house, let's hope for the best, kisses”.

the only good news For Maayan – who speaks to us from a kibbutz 30 kilometres from the Lebanese border, where she lives with her husband and two children – the only good news was that no traces of blood were found in their house. The fragile thread of hope for Maayan, 39, also hangs on the fact that her relatives are Jews of Argentinian origin. All five have dual passports, from Israel and Argentina. Four hostages have been released so far, an American mother and daughter and, last night, two elderly women. According to international media, an agreement is being negotiated for the release of 50 hostages with dual citizenship.

“First of all, I hope that they will be able to release all the hostages,” Maayan explained. “Certainly those who have two nationalities can be helped by the authorities of two states, which can put even more pressure on them. I hope the Argentinian government will do it too, to help us get my family members out. We are not a religious family, we are humanists. We love people. And this is another crazy thing compared to what happened to us. We are all people of peace, we believe in the power of people's hearts. It's so sad that this happened to people who believe in the good in each man’s heart. My mum is a kindergarten teacher. She took care of the elderly on the kibbutz for nine years, but she also continued to help the children and their parents. My aunt Gabriella helps disabled children on a farm near Jerusalem.”

What gives you the strength to hope at the moment?

I try to keep busy, to keep active, because I'm afraid of having a breakdown because of the terrible thing I'm going through. I try to imagine my mother, I see her giving strength to others, because she is that kind of a person, I imagine her continuing to do her work, especially helping the children. Being with them, singing with them. With the little ones and with the elderly.

How do you imagine your cousin Maya, who is only 17?

Maya speaks English well, because she lived in Geneva with her family. When she was little, she participated in a programme to help disabled children. So she, like my mother, can certainly help out. My husband also helps me a lot. He is wonderful. I am also lucky to have friends close by, who support us in everything. They cook my lunch, help me with the children and this week I also started psychological therapy.

How did you find out about the kidnapping and what updates are you receiving from the authorities?

A few hours after the attack, the army called us and told us: “No one is home. They took mobile phones, laptops, jewellery. There are bullet marks on the walls, but no traces of blood.” That's why I hope they are not injured. Later the army informed us that their mobile phones were tracked inside Gaza. We tried to recognise them from the various kidnapping videos, but to no avail. I, however, cannot watch those horrible videos, they hurt too much, I ask my friends to do it. I have to think about preserving my health. Then, every day, a soldier calls us, it’s a woman, appointed by the government, tells us if there are any updates, checks if we need help, even in terms of psychological support. Day after day, I'm better.

What did you tell your two children about their grandmother?

It was very difficult to decide what to tell them. The first day we just told them that war had broken out and that we were worried because Grandma lived nearby. They started asking a lot of questions, we explained that we simply did not know where grandma was. We didn’t want them to know that she had been kidnapped. They would have been too scared. On Sunday, however, the schools reopened after being closed for two weeks. We imagined that someone would talk about the hostages and they would understand for themselves. Then we started to express our concern that grandma might have been kidnapped and taken to Gaza. Especially for our eldest, who is 8 years old, it was a difficult day, he started to be very scared. But already the next day he was a little better.

Last Sunday, the Pope spoke on the phone with US President Biden and repeated his appeal for the release of the hostages…

I didn’t know this, but I am grateful. Because in the face of such a crime against humanity, I hope that all those who have authority, of any kind, to intervene in any way, will use it to bring our loved ones home. I am happy to know that the Pope is also doing all he can.