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The Bibas family’s story should serve as a wake-up call. They, along with all the victims of Hamas’s terror, deserve justice.
By AMI H. ORKABY FEBRUARY 26, 2025 09:39 Updated: FEBRUARY 26, 2025 09:42
Pictures of Shiri Bibas and her children Kfir and Ariel, in Jerusalem, February 20, 2025
(photo credit: FLASH90/CHAIM GOLDBERG)
The images are impossible to forget: a young mother, Shiri Bibas, ripped from the heart of ordinary life, clutching her two small red-haired children—a four-year-old boy and a nine-month-old baby. Their faces, etched with fear, are a haunting symbol of the brutality they endured as they were dragged away to Gaza.
Filmed by the Hamas terrorists who stormed Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, these images are but one example of the ruthless inhumanity that defines Hamas’s actions. That tragic morning, terrorists from Gaza killed, raped, and tore apart countless families, leaving behind nothing but devastation. This is not the act of a legitimate political group but of a terrorist organization driven by a singular goal: inflicting suffering and destruction.
For over 16 months, the world watched in horror as Hamas paraded the Bibas family in propaganda materials, exploiting their suffering for psychological warfare. Yarden, Shiri’s husband, was forced to appear in a video after being told his family had been killed—a sadistic manipulation that epitomizes Hamas’s treatment of hostages.
Now, with Yarden’s recent release, the full extent of the horror is clear. His reunion with freedom came at the devastating cost of confirming that his wife and children were murdered by their captors. A baby. A four-year-old child. A mother.
But the suffering didn’t end there. When Hamas finally returned the bodies of the Bibas family, they viciously placed the body of an unknown woman, not Shiri, among them. This appalling act of cruelty was designed to torment Yarden, forcing him and his family to endure the unimaginable never-ending pain.
The forensic results, as confirmed by Dr. Chen Kugel, director of Israel’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine, revealed no evidence of injuries caused by bombing. Instead, Israel reported that Shiri, along with her two children, Ariel and Kfir, were killed with "bare hands."
Hamas then fabricated injuries, attempting to make it appear as though their deaths had been caused by an IDF bombing. This horrifying discovery further underscores the brutality with which Hamas carried out their murders. Evidence of this has been shared with Israel’s partners around the world.
The tragedy of the Bibas family is not just a personal catastrophe— it is a stark reminder of Hamas’s true nature. These are not freedom fighters or resistance members; they are monsters who deliberately target civilians, murder children, and inflict maximum pain and psychological torture on their victims.
Freed hostages recount horrors that are almost beyond comprehension: beatings, starvation, sexual violence, brainwash and the constant fear of execution. Hamas does not wage war like a military force; it commits war crimes as a matter of policy. These actions are not those of human beings but of a depraved Nazi ideology that glorifies violence and delights in suffering.
The murder of Shiri and her children, the torture Yarden endured, and the ongoing captivity of other hostages—these are not aberrations; they are the essence of Hamas’s behavior. This is an organization that builds terror tunnels instead of schools, uses hospitals as military headquarters, and siphons humanitarian aid to fuel its war machine. Their rule has brought nothing but misery to Gaza’s civilians while enriching their own leadership.
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Those who continue to support or make excuses for Hamas must confront these undeniable facts. Every justification, every attempt to contextualize their actions, and every “but” that follows condemnation only serves to enable more suffering. Hamas has repeatedly shown that they have no interest in peace, no regard for human life—Palestinian or Israeli—and no vision beyond perpetual conflict and destruction.
Yet, despite this undeniable reality, Hamas still finds apologists in the West—activists and politicians who, whether out of ignorance or malice, embolden its atrocities by justifying its violence. Every rally that glorifies Hamas, every voice that downplays its crimes, only extends the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians. To defend Hamas is to defend barbarism. To support Hamas is to sabotage any hope for peace in the region.
International community must unite
The international community must unite in recognizing that there can be no peace, no stability, and no future for either Israelis or Palestinians as long as Hamas maintains its grip on Gaza. Their elimination is not just an Israeli security imperative; it is a moral duty for anyone who believes in human dignity and the possibility of peace.
The Bibas family’s story should serve as a wake-up call. They, along with all the victims of Hamas’s terror, deserve justice. Hamas’s reign of terror must end—not only for Israel’s security, not only for Gaza’s future but for the very possibility of a future where children like Ariel and Kfir can grow up without fear of being torn from their parent's arms in the dead of night. There can be no peace while Hamas continues to rule.
If the international community truly seeks justice, if it truly cares about innocent lives, then it must stand firm: Hamas must be dismantled, its terror eradicated, and its stranglehold on Gaza broken. The path to peace in the region begins with the end of Hamas.
Ami H. Orkaby is a renowned international lawyer.
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