AP Uses Term for Zoo Animals to Describe Hamas Murder Victims Ariel and Kfir Bibas
the Associated Press (AP) faced backlash for it’s description of the deaths of an Israeli mother, Shiri Bibas, and her two sons, Ariel and Kfir, who were reportedly killed by Hamas. The controversy arose from the AP’s use of the phrase “died in captivity” in a tweet, which critics argued trivialized the brutal circumstances of their deaths, resembling language used for zoo animals. Many users on X, formerly Twitter, pointed out that the mother and her sons were kidnapped from their home, with the children murdered while in captivity, and called for the AP to amend its wording.
Bibas and her children were among four hostages handed over by Hamas after over 500 days in captivity. Initially, Hamas mistakenly returned the body of a different woman, leading to accusations of cruelty from Israeli officials. However, they later confirmed that Bibas’s body was returned, and forensic evidence revealed that her children had been brutally murdered by their captors, contradicting Hamas’s claims that they died in an airstrike. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the act as a ”cruel and evil violation.” This situation highlights the intense emotions and complexities surrounding the ongoing conflict and its impact on families caught in the crossfire.
The Associated Press is under fire for how it described the death of an Israeli mother and her two boys who were reportedly slain by Hamas.
The AP d the controversial statement on the social media platform X on Friday.
“BREAKING: A body released by Palestinian militants overnight was confirmed by the family to be of Shiri Bibas, the Israeli mother whose sons also died in captivity,” the news outlet wrote.
BREAKING: A body released by Palestinian militants overnight was confirmed by the family to be of Shiri Bibas, the Israeli mother whose sons also died in captivity. https://t.co/fcIypPLcGV
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 22, 2025
The phrase in question was “died in captivity,” which is often how zoo animal deaths are reported.
X users were quick to criticize the AP.
“Died in capitivity? Call it what it is. Change the headline!” one user wrote.
Died in capitivity? Call it what it is. Change the headline!
— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) February 22, 2025
“They were kidnapped from a safe room in their home, the sons were MURDERED a month after being kidnapped and their bodies returned after 500 days. The Mother was MURDERED,” another user penned.
They were kidnapped from a safe room in their home, the sons were MURDERED a month after being kidnapped and their bodies returned after 500 days. The Mother was MURDERED,
— Patricia Minton (@MintonPatmin) February 22, 2025
Shiri Bibas and her two toddlers, Ariel and Kfir, were three of four deceased hostages turned over by Hamas on Thursday, more than 500 days after being captured during the terrorist attack of Oct. 7, 2023, according to Fox News.
The toddlers were just 4 years old and 9 months old when they were kidnapped, while Bibas was 32.
The fourth deceased hostage was retired journalist and activist Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was captured.
Members of Hamas arrived in the city of Khan Younis, which is in Gaza, carrying four black coffins.
“As the bodies of four Israeli hostages are transferred by Hamas to the Red Cross, hundreds of ‘innocent Gazans’ dance to music, and happily film this tragic event,” Israel’s Government Press Office wrote on X. “Speechless doesn’t begin to describe how this makes us feel.”
Live from Gaza: As the bodies of four Israeli hostages are transferred by Hamas to the Red Cross, hundreds of “innocent Gazans” dance to music, and happily film this tragic event.
Speechless doesn’t begin to describe how this makes us feel. pic.twitter.com/YwXqIjXKXW
— Government Press Office 🇮🇱 (@GPOIsrael) February 20, 2025
But further deepening the tragic saga, it was quickly discovered that Hamas had handed over the wrong body on Thursday.
Instead of Bibas, Hamas handed over a dead Palestinian woman, which the terrorist group claimed was a mistake.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “a cruel and evil violation.”
Another body later handed over on Friday, however, was confirmed by family to be Bibas, according to NBC News.
Hamas claimed the four hostages were killed in an air strike, according to the BBC.
But Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said forensic evidence told a very different story.
“Following a forensic examination, we can confirm that baby Kfir Bibas, aged just ten months old, and his older brother Ariel, aged 4, were both brutally murdered by terrorists while being held hostage in Gaza, no later than November, 2023,” Hagari said in a statement, according to The Jewish Chronicle.
“Contrary to Hamas’s lies, Ariel and Kfir were not killed in an airstrike. Ariel and Kfir Bibas were murdered by terrorists in cold blood,” he said.
“The terrorists did not shoot the two young boys—they killed them with their bare hands. Afterwards, they committed horrific acts to cover up these atrocities.”
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