HAMAS has named the next three Israeli hostages set to be freed today, but there is still no sign of the Bibas brothers.
The latest ceasefire swap deal is expected to involve Eli Sharabi, 52, Ohad Ben Ami, 56, and Or Levy, 34, who will be exchanged for 183 Palestinian prisoners.
Sharabi and Ben Ami were both kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the hardest-hit communities in the brutal October 7 attacks.
Or Levy’s nightmare, meanwhile, began at the Nova music festival, where Hamas terrorists stormed the site, killing hundreds.
He and his wife, Eynav, fled and hid in a bomb shelter—only he was taken alive.
Her body was later found inside the shelter.
There are concerns mounting over the fate of the two youngest captives of Hamas – Kfir Bibas, two, and Ariel Bibas, five, whose release has not been confirmed since the commencement of the delicate ceasefire agreement on January 19.
The boys were kidnapped alongside their parents from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 bloodbath.
Kfir was only nine months old when he was barbarically kidnapped and forced to spend the majority of his life as a hostage.
Their mum, Shiri Bibas, and the children were last seen alive in a video being marched through Gaza by gunmen.
In a previous instance, Hamas alleged that Shiri and her children were casualties of an Israeli airstrike in November; however, Israel’s military was unable to corroborate the claim at that time.
They are currently the only known Israeli minors still unaccounted for in Gaza.
Their dad, Yarden Bibas, was in the latest group of hostages to be released a few days ago.
He was reportedly separated from his wife and sons and held in a different location.
Yarden, 34, was released alongside two others after being held for 484 days – but his family is still “incomplete” with no sign of his captured wife and young sons.
In their first statement since the dad’s release, the family said : “A quarter of our heart has returned to us after 15 long months.
“There are no words to describe the relief of holding Yarden in our hands, embracing him and hearing his voice.
“Yarden has returned home but the home remains incomplete.”
They added that despite the father’s safe return he has come back to an “unbearable reality” without his sons.
Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari previously said that the IDF is “very concerned and worried” about the condition of the Bibas children and their mother.
Baby Kfir turned two in captivity in January.
Across Israel, posters of the red-haired toddler clutching his pink elephant have become a painful symbol of the hostage crisis.
UK ‘MUST ACT’
Meanwhile, the British family of Eli Sharabi is relieved he is on Hamas’s list of hostages set for release.
Sharabi, 52, was taken from Kibbutz Beeri, where his Bristol-born wife, Lianne, and their daughters, Noiya and Yahel, were killed while hiding.
His brother, Yossi, was killed in captivity.
He is due to be freed Saturday alongside Ohad Ben Ami, 56, and Or Levy, 34, in the fifth hostage-prisoner exchange.
Lawyers Adam Rose and Adam Wagner stressed safety must come first.
“We and our clients, the Sharabi and Brisley families, are pleased and relieved that Eli Sharabi is reportedly on the list for release by Hamas, due to take place tomorrow,” they said on Friday.
Urging the UK to act, the lawyers added: “There cannot be a repeat of the scenes a week ago when hostages were put at danger of injury and death by a mob of thousands of people.”
“Hostage taking is a war crime, and every nation should be calling for the hostages to be released immediately and unconditionally.”
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 15 months of devastation that followed.
