Around 50 creatives, which includes animators and producers who have worked on the DC Comics character of Batman in various productions, have signed a petition to free the Bibas family from the captivity of the Hamas terrorist organization for 193 days, N12 reported on Tuesday.
The petition was addressed to the governments of Qatar and Egypt through their ambassadors in the United States, where they called for levels of pressure to be exerted on Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations. The petition was sent at the initiative of American historian Dr. Raphael Madoff, director of the David Wyman Holocaust Research Institute in Washington, DC.
The petition notes the creatives were moved by four-year-old Ariel Bibas's admiration for the Gotham superhero. They are also pressing for the release of the father Jordan, the mother Shiri, and the one-year-old baby Kfir.
One of the notable photos of the family, which has been circulated since the abduction of the family from Kibbutz Nir Oz, shows them at home in pajamas branded by the famous caped crusader. Ariel adored Batman and even dressed up as the protector of Gotham City, who fought for its innocent residents.
"As members of the community of Batman writers and creators, we are reaching out to you regarding the young fan who was taken by terrorists and has been held in Gaza since October 7," the petition reads. "We were moved by the many stories about Ariel's love for the iconic superhero figure, who became a symbol of hope and justice for so many. We implore your governments to exert every possible level of pressure on Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad to immediately release the Bibas family and all the Israeli hostages from captivity."
Who were among the signees?
Among the names signed on the petition are Mike Carlin, the head of the animation division of DC Comics, the former president of the company, Paul Levitz, and the president of the animation department of Warner Bros. Studios, Sander Schwartz.
Several of Batman's veteran writers, including comic books' Chip Zdarsky and Mark Waid, also participated in the petition, as well as other prominent creators from the world of the superhero, including Mark Bagley, Dan Jurgens, Denys Cowan, and Amanda Conner, the artist known for the work of Harley Quinn.
In a video found by the IDF during a ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip last February, the mother and two sons were seen alive on the first day of the war, with Shiri holding Kfir in her arms and the three being transferred to a car in Khan Yunis.