Bibas family ‘nightmare’ as children and mother left off hostage list for another week

The relatives of the only children still held hostage in Gaza have said that their “world came crashing down” when they were left off the list of those slated for release yet again.

The family of Shiri, 33, Kfir, 2, and Ariel, 5, were named for release in the first phase of the deal which requires Hamas to prioritise the release of civilian women and children.

The Bibas father, Yarden, is slated to be released later in the deal’s first phase.

But the mother and children have not been released in the first two exchanges of the deal.

Relatives of the family have condemned Israeli media for failing to convey “our pain, our struggle, and, most importantly, the crucial discussion about the complexity and tragedy of them not being on the list,” after Hamas violated the deal by releasing captive female soldiers before civilian women.

When the four Israeli women soldiers were freed on Saturday, fears over the Bibas’s fate soured. If alive, they should have been released before any soldiers, according to the terms of the deal.

In a statement on Saturday, the Bibas’s relatives described how their “world came crashing down” when they discovered that Shiri, Kfir and Ariel, were left off the list of captives to be released later in the day.

IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said the terror group had violated the terms of the deal by not first freeing all female civilians.

He said Israel would make sure that civilian hostage Arbel Yehud, who is believed by Israel to be alive, is released soon, along with Shiri Bibas and her two small children, Ariel and baby Kfir.

Condemning Israeli media, the Bibas relatives’ statement went on, “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 answer is — no.

“Liri, Daniela, Naama, and Karina — We are waiting to see you smiling, wrapped in love, at home with your incredible families,” the statement continued. “Shiri, Yarden, Ariel, and Kfir — We will continue to hope and demand your return. It’s not over until it’s over.”

Yifat Zailer, Shiri's cousin, told Australia’s ABC that they were living in “an ongoing nightmare.”

“Until now, until today, no organisation, not the Red Cross, not UNICEF, not the Israeli intelligence, can tell us what their situation is."

"The uncertainty is completely paralysing,” Zailer said.

The Bibas family are among the most high-profile hostages still in Gaza.

A video of baby Kfir, just eight months old when he was abducted, and his brother Ariel, who was four, made headlines around the world. Shiri could be seen clinging onto her children – the youngest captives taken by the terror group. 

The children are believed to have been held with their mother, while their father, Yarden, was also kidnapped, but kept elsewhere.

The condition of the family is unknown.

There have been no signs of life from the brothers or their mother since their abduction. In November 2023, Hamas said the trio had been killed in an Israeli strike, but there has been no official confirmation of their deaths.

The terror group released propaganda video of their heartbroken father Yarden after telling him his wife and children were dead – but these claims from Hamas have not been verified.