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The entire country was shocked on October 7 by the photo of Shiri Bibas, 32, hugging her two red-haired sons, 9-month-old Kfir and 4-year-old Ariel, as they were surrounded in Kibbutz Nir Oz by Hamas terrorists who were leading them to captivity in Gaza. All three were declared kidnapped, as was husband and father Yarden Bibas, who was released from captivity on February 1 after 486 days - and the entire country and world hoped for the return of all the family members alive. Now that hope has been dashed with the announcement that the bodies of Shiri and her children will be repatriated on Thursday morning.
The Bibas family on Wednesday night issued a clarification after the announcement that their loved ones bodies would be returned saying that "we should receive the bitter news, if it comes, in the customary way after all identification procedures are completed. We ask that we not eulogize our loved ones until there is confirmation after final identification."
Hamas claimed in late November 2023 that Shiri and her two children were not alive. The terrorist organization did not provide any proof of this, and Israel did not signal at any point that there was an indication of this. Among other things, it was claimed that they were being held by another organization. Hamas later even released a video of Yarden Bibas from captivity, after allegedly being informed of their deaths.
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Calling for the release of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas in Jerusalem
(Photo: Maya Alleruzzo/AP)
The IDF spokesman then responded to the harsh video and the terrorist organization's claims, saying that "Hamas continues to act in a cruel and inhumane manner. The IDF is examining the reliability of the information." Following the announcement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured the family members that the matter was being investigated and that they would be updated on any information on the subject.
News sites around the world followed the images of the children who remained captive, as well as the images of the reunion of the kidnapped who returned with their families as part of the first hostage deal less than two months after the Hamas attack.
In February 2024, the IDF showed the Bibas family a security camera video showing Shiri and the two children in eastern Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on the day of the kidnapping. The three were recorded in the video while still alive, however, even when the footage was shown to the family, it was not clear what their condition was at that time - 136 days after their kidnapping.
IDF spokesman Brigadier General Daniel Hagari revealed the video to the public after receiving the family's consent, and clarified at the time: "We are very concerned about the condition and well-being of Shiri and the children." Hagari also revealed that the family members were kidnapped by an organization called "Lords of the Desert" but clarified: "Hamas is responsible and holds all the details related to the Bibas family. It is the address for this family."
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Yarden Bibas is reunited with his family after leaving Gaza
(Video: IDF spokesperson)
Earlier this month, Yarden Bibas was released from captivity, as part of the fourth round of first phase of the second hostage deal , along with the hostages Ofer Calderon and Keith Siegel. At the reception point in the Re'im camp, he was reunited with his father Eli and his sister Ofri Bibas-Levi, who hugged and kissed him. About a week later, Yarden issued a statement referring to Shiri and their children Ariel and Kfir: "Unfortunately, my family has not yet returned to me. They are still there. My light is still there and as long as they are there, everything is dark here." A few days later, when he was released from Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer, his family said that "the road to rehabilitation is still long, and it will not be complete until Shiri, Ariel, Kfir and all the hostages return home."
In an interview with Ynet, Yarden's sister, Ofri, shared that his first question after his release was about the fate of his wife and children, and referred to her brother's video released by Hamas: "Ever since the terrorists told him about Shiri and the children, he has been trying to understand if this is psychological terrorism." Regarding his acclimatization, she said that "he is still there, on October 7," and about his days in captivity, she shared that he "slept most of the time and woke up for food, if it came." In an earlier interview with Ynet's "Headline" podcast, Ofri said that the family planned to move to live in the north of the country within a few months. "They saw that life on the Gaza border was already affecting them, the anxiety was penetrating them. They didn't want to raise the children under this pressure and started thinking about the north. Since we moved to the moshav in the Golan, we had been sending them photos of houses all the time, but they didn't have time to move."
Kfir was kidnapped from his home when he was only 9 months old. On January 18, 2024, people across the country, and even around the world, marked his first birthday . At the event, which was dubbed "The Saddest Birthday in the World," several child stars appeared and dedicated their well-known songs to Kfir and Ariel. "I went to Google to see what a child is supposed to do from the age of nine months to a year. He is supposed to see many colors, but instead he only sees darkness," said Yossi Schneider, Shiri's cousin, at the time.
Less than a month earlier, hundreds of orange balloons were released at the end of a children's literature ceremony for 2023, dedicated to the Bibas family, and especially to the brothers Kfir and Ariel. The balloons were released at the end of the ceremony, as singer Yuval Dayan finished singing "Until You Come Back."
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Ofri Bibas-Levy told Ynet at the time that "We didn't believe we would be in this fight for so long. We walk around all day with pain and sadness that is always there, and every now and then it rises and overflows." Bibas-Levy later wondered: "What is this reality that we are here and they are there, maybe in an underground tunnel? It's a nightmare and unrealistic and our strength is running out. But who are we in the face of their fight there?"
Almost nine months after her family was kidnapped, Ofri gave birth to her third son, Afik. She discovered she was pregnant a few days after October 7, the day the terrorists kidnapped Yardan.
"My baby symbolizes nine months that have passed," said Bibas Levy at the time, when she participated in the mothers' march for the release of the kidnapped. In a conversation with Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth, she said: "Throughout my pregnancy, I hoped they would be here by the time it ended and I gave birth. By the eighth month, or a little before, I came to terms with the fact that they probably wouldn't be. After the birth, there was a small hope they might somehow be there for the bris. My mind is never fully where I am; no joy is complete, something is always missing. When I left the delivery room, I wanted to send messages to everyone, but I had nothing to send to the family group because they’re not there. Now it's just me, Dad and Mom."