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As Israel prepares for the third phase of the hostage release deal on Thursday, officials have issued a renewed demand to Hamas, through mediators, for clear information on the fate of Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir.
After 481 days since the war began, Israeli authorities say their goal is to close the painful uncertainty surrounding the family and finally provide definitive information to their relatives. Shiri, Ariel and Kfir were expected to be released in earlier phases of the deal, as the agreement prioritizes women and children over military personnel. However, they were not freed in previous exchanges, and Hamas has now indicated that it will release three male hostages on Saturday instead.
Meanwhile, Shiri's husband, Yarden Bibas, who was kidnapped separately during Hamas' October 7 attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz, is expected to be released in the first stage of the deal, given what Israeli officials described as his humanitarian condition.
The uncertainty surrounding the Bibas family has turned them into one of the most harrowing symbols of the October 7 hostage crisis. The IDF has previously said that there is grave concern for the fate of Shiri and her children, but no official confirmation has been provided regarding their condition.
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Jimmy Miller, Shiri's cousin, spoke this week in an interview with Ynet, expressing the family’s anguish over the lack of information.
"What will we tell Yarden if he is freed before his wife and children?" Miller asked. "What will we say to him? We have no words. These are difficult times—our worst nightmare."
Miller said that even the military officers assigned to assist the family have no concrete answers about their fate.
"We get bits and pieces of information, but nothing that gives us clarity. There is no certainty about anything. We hold on to a sliver of hope that we will see Shiri, the children and Yarden together, but everything is speculation. There is no official confirmation—even from the army—on what actually happened to them," he said.
Miller described the ongoing uncertainty as unbearable, saying that the family is desperate for closure.
"The officers assisting us don't know exactly what’s happening either. I just hope for some kind of surprise, that we will finally be able to breathe again. We are running out of air. This is a catastrophe, and I don’t know how much longer we can take it. We need to know what happened to Shiri and the children—we have to know," he said.
Miller also expressed concern over the psychological impact on Yarden if he is released without his family.
"If Yarden is freed without them, how will he cope? The mere thought of it is devastating," he said. "On one hand, we celebrate every hostage that returns. Each one is a world of their own, for their families and for us—we have all become one big family. But Shiri and the kids were supposed to be back already. They should have been here by now."