THE youngest Israeli hostage taken by Hamas has been confirmed dead alongside his brother and mother.
Israel has confirmed the horrific news after Hamas claimed on Tuesday that all three were dead which left the Bibas family in turmoil.
Ian WhittakerMum Shiri Bibas was seen desperately clutching to Kfir and his brother Ariel as they were kidnapped on October 7[/caption]
SuppliedYarden and Shiri Bibas with their two young boys before the family became hostages[/caption]
Baby Kfir was the youngest hostage taken by Hamas
Lifshitz Family collectionOded Lifshiz has also been confirmed dead[/caption]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed in a statement that is received the list of four slain hostages which included Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas.
Their families have been notified, the Prime Minister’s Office stated.
Netanyahu said: “In this difficult time, our hearts are with the grieving families.
“We will continue to provide reliable updates as needed and ask to refrain from spreading rumours or unofficial information.”
In a statement, the Bibas family said: “Should we receive devastating news, it must come through the proper official channels after all identification procedures are completed.
“We ask to refrain from eulogizing our loved ones until there is confirmation following final identification.”
Kfir Bibas was only nine months old when he was kidnapped by terrorists on October 7 and forced to spend the majority of his life as a Hamas prisoner.
His then four-year-old brother Ariel and his mother Shiri Bibas, 33, were also snatched in the bloody rampage.
Across Israel, posters of the red-haired toddler clutching his pink elephant have become a painful symbol of the hostage crisis.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum confirmed on Wednesday that all three were dead.
Full statement from The Hostages and Missing Families Forum:
“We received the heart-shattering news that Shiri Bibas, her children Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz are no longer with us.
“This news cuts like a knife through our hearts, the families’ hearts and the hearts of people all over the world.
“Oded was a journalist and peace activist who helped found Kibbutz Nir Oz.
“He dedicated his life to helping others and transporting sick Gazans to Israeli hospitals, and his grandchildren called him ‘Super Grandpa’ for his wisdom and love.
“Shiri was a dedicated mother and accountant, known for her boundless kindness, who nurtured and cared for all the kibbutz children.
“She touched everyone’s heart with her capacity for giving and love for others.
“Ariel, just four-year-old when kidnapped, loved Batman and playing with tractors in the garden.
“Baby Kfir, not-even-one-year-old when taken, had gorgeous red hair and a smile that could melt any person.
“They weren’t just names – they were beloved people, with families who cherished them, with dreams and futures stolen from them.
“We grieve not only for them, but for the other precious lives lost, including four more deceased hostages who will be returned next week.
“We will not rest. We will not stop fighting for every hostage who isn’t part of the current deal – for those still alive, clinging to survival, desperate to return to their loved ones and begin healing.
“And for those we know are deceased – their families deserve the dignity of closure, the basic right to give their loved ones a proper burial.
“This cannot continue. Not one more day. The second stage of the deal must happen NOW. There is no more time to waste.
“Not when every passing moment could mean another life lost, another family shattered. Bring them all home – NOW.”
Also confirmed dead is Oded Lifshitz, a retired journalist who was taken from his home in the same region.
It is not known when or how the four hostages died, though Hamas has claimed that they were killed in an Israeli airstrike in November.
The Bibas family had taken shelter inside their home on Kibbutz Nir Oz when Hamas stormed the area.
Their father Yarden, 35, was also taken after Hamas brutes smashed him over the head with a hammer and he was separated from his family.
He was released by Hamas on February 1 as the rest of the Bibas family said they were “desperately clinging to hope” for the release of his wife and sons.
Yarden’s sister Ofri, who has been by her brother’s side ever since his freedom previously told Channel 12 news that Hamas lied to him about his family’s fate.
His captors told him that his family were safe in Tel Aviv until Novmeber 2023 when Hamas publicly announced that they had been killed in an airstrike.
The bodies of the four hostages are set to return to Israel on Thursday, local media reports.
Netanyahu said in a video statement: “Tomorrow will be a very difficult day for the State of Israel — a shocking day, a day of grief.
Ian WhittakerAriel was four years old when he too was snatched by terrorists[/caption]
AFPThe faces of Shiri and her children became a symbol for the horror of Oct 7[/caption]
Yarden Bibas was desperately ‘clinging to hope’ that his young sons and wife would be returned alive to himRex
AlamyThe moment Yarden, 34, was finally freed earlier this month after 484 days inside Gaza’s terror tunnels[/caption]
“We are bringing home four of our beloved abductees, who have fallen.
“We embrace the families, and the heart of an entire nation is torn apart. My heart is torn. Yours is too.
“And the heart of the whole world should be torn as well, because here we see who we are dealing with, what we are dealing with — monsters.
“We mourn, we hurt, but we are also determined to ensure that such a thing never happens again.”
Hamas has said the bodies will be returned alongside six living hostages.
Israel have yet to confirm the identities of those to be released.
The Red Cross has called for a private and dignified return of the bodies.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement: “We must be clear: any degrading treatment during release operations is unacceptable.”
Meanwhile, the families of the remaining hostages have expressed their pain as they hold out hope to the end that their relatives are alive and will be returned.
What happened on October 7?
ON OCTOBER 7, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal surprise attack on Israel, marking one of the darkest days in the nation’s history.
Terrorists stormed across the border from Gaza, killing over 1,200 people — most of them civilians — and kidnapping 250 others, including women, children, and the elderly.
The coordinated assault saw heavily armed fighters infiltrate Israeli towns, kibbutzim, and military bases, unleashing indiscriminate violence.
Innocent families were slaughtered in their homes, and graphic footage of the atrocities spread across social media, leaving the world in shock.
And as well as attacking people in their homes, they stormed the Nova music peace festival – killing at least 364 people there alone.
The massacre triggered a swift and massive retaliatory response from Israel, escalating into a full-scale war.
The attack not only reignited long-standing tensions in the region but also left deep scars on both sides of the conflict, setting the stage for the 16 months of devastation that followed.
The parents of 19-year-old Sgt. Itay Chen spoke out in a Zoom press conference ahead of the swap on Thursday.
Hagit and Ruby Chen said that they are unable to grieve until they are sure that Itay, a tank crew member, was killed on October 7.
He was initially named in the 253 hostages taken by the terror group but intelligence information and other sources indicate that he died in March 2024, according to the Times of Israel.
The army’s chief rabbi declared his death and the family have beeen “told there is information that Itay is not alive,” but they say they need physical proof in order to move on.
“One day, you wake up, and your child disappears,” Ruby said.
“It isn’t something that you can process.”
Hagit added: “We cannot sit Shiva, and we cannot start to mourn.
“We were told there is information that Itay is not alive, and as far as Israel is concerned, Itay is not alive.
“But they didn’t bring me anything physical to see that he is not alive, so I cannot acknowledge that.
“I still pray that they are wrong and it’s a mistake.”
Dr. Einat Yehene, Senior Rehabilitation Psychologist at the Hostages Families Forum said: “Tomorrow will be very painful, but we will not be able to start the grieving process as family members and as a nation until the last hostages, dead or alive, come back.”
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RexYarden reunited with his mum at the Sheba Hospital after his release[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
