An Israeli family court ruled that Eitan Biran’s grandfather illegally took the six-year-old to Tel Aviv.

An Israeli court has ordered that a six-year-old boy who survived a cable car crash in Italy be returned to his relatives there, amid a bitter custody battle between them and his family in Israel.

The court on Monday ordered Eitan Biran’s grandfather, who had taken him to Israel against the wishes of his family members in Italy, to return the child “to his usual place of residence” and to pay around 20 $ 000 in legal fees and expenses.

Biran’s parents and younger brother were among 14 killed in May when a cable car slammed into a mountain in northern Italy. He was at the center of a custody battle between his maternal grandparents in Israel and his paternal parents in Italy.

An Italian juvenile court had ruled that the child would live with a paternal aunt, Aya Biran, near Pavia, in northern Italy.

His paternal parents say the boy was abducted without their knowledge. They filed a lawsuit in Italy demanding his return and took a Tel Aviv family court, which held a first hearing on September 23.

Shmulik Peleg defended his decision to hunt the boy, saying it was in the best interests of the child. He picked him up on September 11 for a planned family trip, but instead traveled to Switzerland unbeknownst to the other relatives before taking him to Israel on a private jet.

In Monday’s ruling, Tel Aviv Family Court Judge Iris Ilotovich-Segal said Biran’s residence was in Italy, where his family moved when he was only one month old. She concluded that her relocation to Israel was illegal and violated her aunt’s guardianship rights.

The judge also called on the family to reconcile, saying: “It is extremely important to focus on the medical and emotional state of the minor and to give him the support, treatment and hug he needs as a result. of the tragedy that struck him and his family “.

Biran’s paternal parents welcomed the decision in a statement, saying: “There are no winners and no losers, no winners or losers.

“There is only Eitan. All we ask now is that Eitan quickly return home, to his friends and school, to his family and above all to the therapeutic and educational settings he needs.

There was no immediate comment from her maternal grandparents.