This archive report was first published on 13 September 2021.
Published on September 13, 2021, a custody battle has erupted over Eitan Biran, the lone survivor of the Italian cable car crash that killed 14 people in May.
Eitan, who has lived in Italy since he was a year old and holds both Italian and Israeli citizenship, was taken by his grandfather, Mr. Peleg, on a visit that was supposed to be a shopping trip for toys. However, the boy did not return home, and his aunt, Ms. Biran, began to call Mr. Peleg, who did not answer.
Ms. Biran received a text message from Mr. Peleg on Saturday evening stating that Eitan had returned home, but this was later found to be false. The court had ordered Mr. Peleg to return Eitan's Israeli passport, which he did not do, leading to allegations that he used the passport to bring the boy back to Israel.
Lawyers for Mr. Peleg rejected the claims of kidnapping, stating that Eitan was never deprived of his personal freedom and that Mr. Peleg was not formally notified that the child could not leave the country.
“Eitan’s state of health worries the maternal family, which has always been kept in the dark by doctors and courts that have hindered the participation of the maternal family,” the lawyers said in a statement. “For these reasons, his grandfather decided to submit him to the necessary medical checks in Israel.”
