Concern Grows for Israeli Hostage Family as Father is Freed by Hamas

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Yarden Bibas, an Israeli hostage released by Hamas on January 31, 2025, is reunited with his family, but there remains no information regarding his wife, Shiri, and their two young children, Ariel and Kfir, who are still in captivity. The Bibas family was taken during Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed his commitment to securing the safe return of Shiri and the children, stating, “Our thoughts remain with Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir, and all the hostages.”

Hamas previously claimed that Shiri and the children were killed in an Israeli airstrike in November 2023, though Israel has not confirmed these reports and continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding their status. The Israeli military, as reported by local news outlets, lacks intelligence to verify the claims about the hostages' well-being.

As tensions rise, family members view Yarden's release as bittersweet, heightening the push for clarity from Hamas on the remaining captives. Israeli officials have demanded information via intermediaries involved in the ceasefire negotiations amid concerns that the situation for Shiri and her children may be dire.

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