The Aftermath of Tragedy: Eitan Biran’s Heartbreaking Story
Life flipped upside down for six-year-old Eitan Biran in May 2021, when a cable car accident sent shockwaves through Italy’s Piedmont mountains. Fourteen people died, including Eitan’s parents, his younger brother, and both maternal grandparents. Suddenly orphaned, he became the symbol of raw loss, survival, and—less predictably—a raging international feud.
After climbing out of the wreckage, Eitan landed under the care of his paternal relatives, including his aunt, Dr. Aya Biran-Nirko, in Pavia, Italy. Italian authorities saw her as a stable guardian and quickly granted her temporary custody. But behind the scenes, heartbreak and cultural loyalties boiled into suspicion and anger. Eitan’s maternal grandfather, Shmulik Peleg, living in Israel, never hid his belief that his grandson belonged in the country where the family had deep roots.
A Secret Trip and Accusations of Kidnapping
That summer, things took a wild turn. In September 2021, Peleg spirited Eitan out of Italy, ferrying him across borders by car and private plane, finally settling him in Tel Aviv. It wasn’t some quiet family visit. Italian police called it kidnapping, launching a criminal probe almost immediately. They argued Peleg acted without court approval and didn’t even notify local social services. Authorities painted a picture of a risky, secret mission—hardly the peaceful family reunion Peleg described in interviews back in Israel.
The Biran family, especially Dr. Aya Biran-Nirko, also saw Peleg’s move as a betrayal and an outright violation of Italian law. She accused Peleg of manipulating Eitan, saying he pressured the boy to reject the Italian family and forget his home. In the midst of this, Eitan became a figure everyone wanted to speak for—but one whom adults were pulling in opposite directions.
Media outlets in both countries latched onto the drama, and emotional statements flew back and forth. Peleg, speaking to Israeli reporters, insisted he was honoring the late parents’ wishes by raising Eitan in Israel. On the other side, his aunt denied any financial motivation, but Peleg’s relatives suggested otherwise, pointing to possible compensation claims from the cable car disaster.
- Shmulik Peleg argued Eitan was happier and “at home” in Israel.
- Paternal relatives accused Peleg of ‘brainwashing’ and traumatizing Eitan further.
- Italian courts had initially given Aya Biran-Nirko custody, calling Eitan “settled” in Italy.
The whole situation turned into a legal ping-pong match, with Eitan at its heart.
The case also highlighted how sudden tragedies can spiral into international legal chaos. The Hague Convention on Child Abduction—an agreement meant to return children who are taken across borders without consent—played a crucial role. Israeli courts ultimately sided with Italy, declaring Peleg’s removal of Eitan “unlawful” and ordering his return to his aunt. Peleg faced a hefty bill of €17,250 in legal costs, while legal teams on both sides filed competing appeals and made sharp public statements.
Eitan for a time remained in Israel amid appeals, caught between two countries, two languages, and two visions of where he truly belongs. As lawyers wrangled over paperwork, headlines in Italy and Israel debated not only his best interests but also the scars left by tragedy and how grown-ups so often turn a single, surviving child into the battleground for a family’s grief, blame, and hope for the future.
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