'We hold on to hope,' Bibas family says ahead of hostage releases

The family requested that people "respect Shiri, Yarden, Ariel, and Kfir, as well as the entire family, and refrain from spreading rumors or speculations that unsettle us."

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF JANUARY 27, 2025 14:40 Updated: JANUARY 27, 2025 14:47

Kfir and Ariel Bibas, whoa re both still in Hamas captivity. (photo credit: The Bibas family)

"The list that was recently forwarded by Hamas to Israel is not a list of names and does not change our standpoint," said the Bibas family in a social media post on Monday afternoon.

The family added that "we hold onto hope and await clarity regarding their condition" when discussing the unconfirmed status of their relatives currently held hostage in Gaza by Hamas terrorists.

The family demanded that the government do everything to bring them home.

The family requested that people "respect Shiri, Yarden, Ariel, and Kfir, as well as the entire family, and refrain from spreading rumors or speculations that unsettle us."

They concluded that "until there is certainty, this is not the end for us" as they wait for the return of their relatives.

Family of the Bibas family and families of the Gaza hostages gathered to mark the fifth birthday of Ariel Bibas who remains in Hamas captivity, August 5, 2024. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)

Not on the list

When Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas were not on the list of the names of the captives set to be released on Saturday, “our world caved in on us,” their family said in an earlier post on Instagram.

Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir – as civilian women and children – should have been released before female soldiers, according to the terms of the hostage deal.

The Bibas relatives added that hearing that their family members were not on the list for Saturday was earth-shattering despite the fact that they had been prepared for the possibility in advance.