Eitan Biran
Eitan BiranCourtesy of the family

The grandmother of Eitan Biran, sole survivor of a cable car crash in Italy, responded to a court decision that the six-year-old must be returned to Italy.

"This court ruling is a great tragedy for Eitan Biran," she told Kan Bet. "They are ripping a child from his family's embrace. Instead of allowing him to be in the comforting, loving, protected place, in the embrace of his mother's family in Israel, it has been decreed that he must return to the place of the tragedy and disaster, in Italy."

Attorney Ronen Dlayahu, who is representing Eitan's grandfather, told Reshet Bet, "We have a week to examine the issue and decide whether to appeal to the Supreme Court. This is not a small matter, and it's not just another case. The family feels that even the last survivor, the grandchild, they will never be able to see again."

On Thursday, the Tel Aviv District Court rejected an appeal filed by Shmuel Peleg, grandfather of Eitan Biran, demanding that the child be returned to Italy to his aunt Aya Biran within 15 days.

The court also ruled that until Eitan is returned to Italy, he will stay with the Peleg family in Israel. In addition, the ruling stated that, "Although the appellant unlawfully removed the minor, the minor will also be allowed to meet his grandfather in Italy."

Eitan is the sole survivor of a cable car crash in Italy which killed 14 people, including his great-grandparents, both of his parents, and his two-year-old brother. Last month, Eitan was brought to Israel by Shmuel Peleg, without his guardian aunt's permission. An international arrest warrant has been issued against Peleg by an Italian court.