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Photos of Yarden and Shiri, the marriage proposal, the wedding, their children Ariel and Kfir — and the tragic end at the cemetery: Under the title "How do you even begin to process this?", Yarden Bibas uploaded a moving and heartbreaking video about his family’s life before October 7.
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A gut wrenching video by Yarden Bibas
Yarden Bibas, who survived nearly 500 days in Hamas captivity in Gaza, returned to Israel only a few days before receiving the devastating news: Shiri, Ariel and Kfir were murdered by their captors.
About two months after his return, Yarden is still trying to cope with the immense loss. "How do you even begin to process this?" he wrote on Instagram, alongside a personal video he shared, showing Shiri and himself together, long before the October 7 massacre that shattered their world.
The video includes emotional images of Yarden’s marriage proposal to Shiri and photos from their wedding day. It goes on to show moments from the births of their children, Ariel and Kfir, as well as scenes from their home, their yard, and the children playing. One of the most heartbreaking images is of Yarden at the cemetery where Shiri and the children were laid to rest after their bodies were returned to Israel more than 500 days after they were abducted.
Amid reports of some progress in negotiations surrounding the Egyptian proposal for a hostage deal, Haggai Angrest, the father of captive Matan Angrest in Gaza, spoke to Ynet on Monday.
"The prime minister must immediately move to phase B and bring Matan and all the hostages back now, because every moment, every rocket fired in Gaza, endangers my son and the other hostages," he said.
Angerst refused to comment on what he called "background noise," such as the dismissal of the Shin Bet chief or the incident involving Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf, warning that the government is diverting attention away from saving lives. "Children are being tortured right now, tied up and suffering, and that is what the public needs to focus on," he asserted.
Angrest called on the public to apply massive pressure on the government: "We want to see everyone out there. Only public pressure — if millions take to the streets — will make the prime minister understand through actions. We’ve failed to get millions out on the streets, and we don’t understand why. Where is the mutual responsibility? Today it’s us; tomorrow it could be you." He urged every citizen to protest with signs about the hostages to "stop this madness."
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Yotam Cohen, the brother of captive soldier Nimrod Cohen, also spoke with Ynet and emphasized the importance of the previous hostage release deal. "At the start of every discussion about a deal, it’s crucial to say there was a general agreement called Phase II for returning all the hostages and ending the war," he said. "Israel was the one who violated the agreement as it was signed, by deciding not to proceed to Phase II."
Yotam Cohen referred to protests across the country in support of bringing the hostages back. "Here, only force is understood. Only people in the streets, only public pressure," he said, adding that public pressure in Israel also influences international decision-makers.
Cohen expressed mistrust in the political leadership and accused hostage negotiator Ron Dermer of deliberately sabotaging deals.
"He travels to the United States and convinces Trump that all the hostages are dead and that there’s no reason or urgency to move forward with a deal. He was placed at the head of the negotiation team as Netanyahu’s puppet to ensure no deal is reached anytime soon," he said. However, he added, "we trust the professional ranks—namely the IDF, Nitzan Alon, the head of the Shin Bet, and the head of the Mossad. I see it in personal meetings. Unlike the political leadership, they are doing everything they can to bring the hostages back."