The body of journalist and peace activist Oded Lifshitz, the fourth slain hostage, was released on Thursday. Hamas is set to release six surviving hostages on Saturday. Back in November 2023, Hamas had alleged that the Bibas boys and their mother were killed in an Israeli airstrike without providing any proof. Israel initially could not confirm their deaths but later expressed grave concern for their well-being.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a volunteer group dedicated to bringing Israeli hostages back, confirmed the devastating news of their demise on Wednesday. “This news is a deep wound for us, the families, and people worldwide,” the forum expressed in a statement. “They were not just names – they were beloved individuals with families who treasured them, with dreams and futures snatched away from them.”
The last sighting of Shiri Bibas and her sons was in a widely circulated video showing armed captors taking the mother, her face twisted in anguish, while her children, Kfir and Ariel, clung to her in fear. Kfir was just 9 months old, and Ariel was 4 years old when they were kidnapped alongside their parents during the October 7 attack by Hamas that claimed 1,200 lives and seized over 200 hostages. Since then, more than 47,000 Palestinians have lost their lives in Israeli offensives, as per Gaza medical sources.
The Bibas boys were the youngest Israeli hostages and remained the only children in Hamas’ custody following the release of 100 hostages in a short-lived ceasefire agreement in November 2023. Their father, Yarden, 34, who was abducted separately and held elsewhere in Gaza, was freed weeks ago on February 1 through a new ceasefire pact between Israel and Hamas. The initial stage of the agreement mandated Hamas to hand over 33 hostages in exchange for releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel. In return, Israel was to halt its Gaza assaults for six months and commence withdrawing troops from populated regions.
For the families of the hostages, the news of the accord brought a mix of hope and anxiety, especially for those who had received no updates on their loved ones’ well-being. “The families can’t bear it any longer,” lamented Yosi Shnaider, Shiri Bibas’ relative, during the period of uncertainty about her and her children’s fate. “I can’t find words to convey how challenging this is.”
After Yarden Bibas’ liberation, the family clung to the hope that Shiri and her sons would soon be reunited with him. In captivity, the Bibas family had become symbols of the most severe attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Images of the boys were displayed on buildings worldwide, portraying Kfir’s innocent joy with a small pink elephant and Ariel’s inquisitive smile.
“Bring him home now!” – this was the cry that filled the air during a protest demanding the
The two bodies of Kfir and Ariel Bibas were sources of inspiration, sparking art, songs, prayers, and protests as a tense world awaited updates on their situation. Kfir was just on the brink of turning 2 years old in January. This information was contributed by Savannah Kuchar and Reuters. The original version of this article was published on USA TODAY, announcing the return of Kfir and Ariel Bibas’ remains to Israel as part of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
