Hamas released four Israeli women hostages on Saturday in what was the second exchange under the ceasefire deal between Israel and Gaza. As the world watched, the soldiers, in military uniform, were handed over to Red Cross members. As the fragile ceasefire holds in Gaza, the fate of the Bibas family and the youngest Hamas hostage remains unknown.
Shiri Bibas, her two sons, Ariel (5) and Kfir (2), and her husband, Yarden, were among those kidnapped by the group on October 7, 2023. Baby Kfir, the youngest hostage, was just 8 months old at the time.
The Bibas family’s hopes were shattered when their names were missing from the list of hostages to be freed in the latest phase of the multi-phase ceasefire deal. In a statement, the family shared their anguish. According to The Times of Israel, the statement read, “Yesterday at 16:00, when the list of those set for release was published, our world collapsed. Even though we were prepared for this possibility, we had hoped to see Shiri and the children on the list that was supposed to be for civilian women.”
While Israeli authorities insist on the return of Kfir and Ariel, Hamas has claimed that Shiri and her two boys are no longer alive. Israeli officials have not confirmed this, and the uncertainty has left the family anxious.
An analyst told ABC News that whether they’re alive depends on who is asked about it. Should they be confirmed dead, it is likely to unleash fury and sadness in Israel, where the family has become a symbol of the country’s darkest moment.
According to an AFP report, Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari expressed “deep concerns” over the well-being of the two remaining child hostages from the Bibas family in Gaza. In a televised statement on Saturday, Hagari said that Israel insists on the return of Kfir and Ariel Bibas. Hagari added, “We are deeply concerned for their fate,” and also mentioned their mother, whose deaths Hamas had announced more than a year ago but Israeli authorities have not confirmed.
Meanwhile, the family’s plea remains steadfast — “Shiri, Yarden, Ariel, and Kfir — We will continue to hope and demand your return. It’s not over until it’s over,” they said in the statement.
The three-stage Ceasefire deal is currently in its first phase as part of which 33 of the remaining 98 hostages – women, children, men over 50, the ill and wounded – will be released in return for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
In the first phase, Israeli forces would also withdraw from Gaza and allow the displaced population to return “to their residences”, the Qatari prime minister earlier said. The first phase will last six weeks.