Concerns have escalated regarding the well-being of the youngest Israeli hostages who are still in captivation as they were not part of the group of four hostages released in the recent prisoner exchange.
The Bibas siblings, Kfir and Ariel, aged only two and five, were abducted by Hamas militants. Their family is distressed as they have no information on whether the children are alive or deceased.
The siblings, along with their parents Yarden and Shiri, are included in the list of hostages designated for release during the initial six-week period of the delicate ceasefire agreement.
Despite this, relatives have received no information since the ceasefire began on Sunday – the day after Kfir’s second birthday.
Hamas was blasted by the IDF as they accused the militant group of breaking the ceasefire agreement by releasing four female IDF soldiers today.
Spokesman Daniel Hagari said: “Hamas did not abide by its obligation in the deal to free civilian women first.”
Hagari also vowed Israel would do all it could to bring the boys and Shiri back home soon.
The spokesman emphasized the growing fear surrounding the health of this family as he said: “We have heavy concerns for their fate.”
Israel said they expect to hear more about the captive family soon.
Despite this, the Bibas family’s relatives said their “world came crashing down” when they discovered the boys and their parents were left off the second hostage release list, according to The Times of Israel.
In a heartwrenching statement, the family called on local media to not forget about “our pain, our struggle, and, most importantly, the crucial discussion about the complexity and tragedy of them not being on the list.”
The family added: “Does the grave concern for their lives cancel out the fact that they are civilians in captivity who must be brought home?”
“Does the grave concern for Shiri’s life mean that there is no longer a need to display her photo as a kidnapped civilian in Gaza whose fate remains unknown?”
The family also recently revealed they have no idea if the young boys are dead or alive, after no proof of life has been provided by Hamas.
In November 2023, Hamas published a video of Yarden Bibas being told his wife and children had been killed.
Hamas said they were killed in an IDF air strike on Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.
However, Hamas is known to have lied about deaths in the past as a form of psychological torture – so there the situation is still unclear.
Their loved ones have shared the anguish and heartbreak they have faced for the past 477 days.
Ofri Bibas-Levy, the aunt of the brothers, told NBC News: “Not knowing is so hard that sometimes I want to scream.
“Just tell me, even if it’s the worst, I just want to know.
“Not knowing, I can’t start any kind of healing, I can’t start recovering – I’m stuck,” she said, clutching a special recreation of the pink elephant toy that features in Kfir’s most famous picture.
SECOND EXCHANGE
The second phase of the first six weeks of hostage exchanges between Hamas and Israel was conducted today.
Four IDF soldiers were emotionally freed after 477 brutal days of hell.
Karina Ariev, 20, Daniela Gilboa, 20, Naama Levy, 20, and Liri Elbag, 19, were handed over to the Red Cross and have been taken back home.
They were escorted by mask-wearing and gun-wielding Hamas terrorists as huge crowds watched the historic moment at a square in Gaza City.
The women were seen waving from a stage before being handed over to the Red Cross, who drove them to safety.
The four young women were horrifically kidnapped from Israel’s Nahal Oz military base on October 7, 2023.
Terrifying footage released by Hamas at the time showed the girls covered in blood as they were tied up in front of murderous invaders.
The young soldiers were also pushed up against a wall as a militant screamed “take pictures of them”.
