The six-year-old boy, who survived the Italian cable car disaster that left him an orphan, is caught in a custody battle between two aunts – with the Israeli family saying that Italian relatives kidnapped him
- Eitan Biran, six, miraculously survived the tragedy in the Alps on Jan.
- His mother, father, younger brother, and great grandparents all lost their lives
- Eitan lives with his paternal aunt Aya Biran-Nirko in northern Italy
- Last week, maternal aunt Gali Peleg said her family would take legal action
A six-year-old Israeli boy who was the only survivor of a cable car tragedy is now at the center of a bitter custody battle between the families of his two aunts, one of whom accuses the other of “kidnapping” him.
Eitan Biran miraculously survived the tragedy in the Alps on May 23, but his mother, father, younger brother and great-grandparents all lost their lives.
The cable car was carrying passengers up a mountain with a view of Lake Maggiore when it fell 300 meters from the train station shortly after 12 noon.
His mother Tal (26), his father Amit (30), his two-year-old brother Tom and great-grandparents Itshak and Barbara Cohen (82 and 70) died in the crash.
Eitan has lived with his paternal aunt, Aya Biran-Nirko, a mother of two and a doctor who lives near Pavia in northern Italy, since he was released from Turin hospital in June.
But last week his maternal aunt Gali Peleg announced that her family would take legal action so that he could lead a “normal” life in Israel, The Times reports.
Eitan (pictured below with family) miraculously survived the tragedy in the Alps on May 23, but his mother, father, younger brother and great-grandparents all lost their lives
Rescue workers surround the wreck of a cable car that fell from the Stresa-Alpine-Mottarone route on May 23
Tal Peleg-Biran is pictured on the left with her sister Gali Peleg. Ms. Peleg announced that her family would take legal action to enable Eitan to lead a “normal” life in Israel
Ms. Peleg said: “He was kidnapped by relatives who do not know him at all. [Biran-Nirko] was in no way close to him. The family there doesn’t take him to a park or to eat, which we did to make him feel like a family. ‘
She claimed that her sister, Tal Peleg-Biran, 26, treasured Jewish and Israeli identities and that this would be undermined while in Italy.
Ms. Peleg added: “In a few years he will look back and see where he grew up and who his parents were and it is important to me that he sees that we have always been there for him. He’s already lost a family and doesn’t have to lose another. ‘
She added that her family were only allowed to see the child briefly and said he would “cry” when she leaves.
Eitan miraculously survived the tragedy (pictured: place where the cable car crashed to the ground) in the Alps, but his mother and father, younger brother and great-grandparents were all killed
Five-year-old Eitan Biran (pictured below) from Israel has no memory of the cable car accident in Italy that killed his entire family, doctors said
Biran-Nirko’s lawyers called the allegations “surreal” and added, “We sincerely cannot understand the reason for this bitterness and falsehood.”
Reports had previously shown doctors believe the boy was suffered from post-traumatic amnesia after tests ruled out neurological damage.
In a statement translated from Italian, doctors said, “Eitan’s condition is improving significantly from both a thoracic and abdominal trauma perspective.”
His aunt Aya, 41, and his grandmother both traveled from Israel to sit by his bed and stay with him in the hospital after the May 23 crash.
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