Israel has confirmed that Hamas’ youngest hostages have been killed in Gaza and their bodies will be returned to the Jewish state.
The announcement brings to an end agonizing months of speculation about the fate of Kfir Bibas, his brother, Ariel, and their mother, Shiri.
Kfir was just 9 months old when he was abducted by terrorists during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and never celebrated a birthday in freedom. Ariel was just 4. It’s not clear when the three died.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the Bibas family, along with Oded Lifshitz, are dead, matching Hamas’ ghoulish report on Tuesday.
The bodies of all four will be released by Hamas on Thursday.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an advocacy group made up of the families of the captives and their supporters, said they were devastated by the news.
“This news cuts like a knife through our hearts, the families’ hearts, and the hearts of people all over the world,” the group said in a statement.
“They weren’t just names – they were beloved people, with families who cherished them, with dreams and futures stolen from them,” they added.
All eyes were glued on the outcome of Shiri and her boys after their kidnapping was featured in a horrific Hamas propaganda video on Oct. 7.
Despite Hamas’ claims that Shiri, Kfir, and Ariel, died in an Israeli airstrike in November 2023, the Bibas family clung to hope up until the last minute that their loved ones were still alive.
“I believe they’re alive – I personally don’t believe they are dead,” Yosi Shnaider, a cousin of Shiri, told the Post just a few days before the confirmation from Israel.
The news will be especially wrenching for husband and father Yarden Bibas, who was freed earlier this month with no idea if he would ever be reunited with his wife and ginger-haired boys.
The Missing Families Forum described Shiri as a loving mother who helped care for other children in Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the hardest hit villages during the Oct. 7 terrorist attack.
The group said the family of Lifshitz, who described him as a “Super Grandpa,” were also in mourning after he was identified as the fourth person set to be released on Thursday.
“Oded was a journalist and peace activist who helped found Kibbutz Nir Oz,” the forum said. “He dedicated his life to helping others and transporting sick Gazans to Israeli hospitals, and his grandchildren called him ‘Super Grandpa’ for his wisdom and love.”
The bodies of the four hostages will be transferred to Israeli custody on Thursday, where they will be transported back home and receive a funeral.
