Released hostage Yarden Bibas posts first message since release from Gaza captivity, thanks supporters for prayers

Returned Israeli hostage Yarden Bibas, whose wife, Shiri, and two sons, Ariel and Kfir, fought for their lives against their captors in Gaza, recently posted a message in a Facebook group he belonged to, expressing gratitude for the members' support and prayers.

"There is no doubt that this group is more than just another regular Facebook group! It's a group of good and supportive people, who are willing to help in any way!” Yarden wrote to the group that worked for the release of him and his family. 

"Thank you so much – to each and every one of you who cared, prayed and helped my family and me," Bibas posted on the popular Facebook page ‘Flawed Father – Surviving Together.’

“I appreciate it very much and it's not taken for granted.” 

The Facebook group is part of a fathers’ support group in Israel, which has over 100,000 members and focuses on supporting fathers as they raise their children. The group provides advice and support to fathers, promotes social projects, and holds meetings among its members. 

Yarden was a member of the group before his capture on Oct. 7, 2023, and was touched to see the outpouring of support from the group for himself and his family after their capture to Gaza. 

While the Bibas family has interacted very little with media following Yarden’s release, and the wait for the release of Shiri and the boys, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari said that Yarden asked him to share the details of the autopsy report with the world. 

While announcing the news of the brutal deaths of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas in captivity, along with fellow hostage Oded Lifshitz, Hagari said, “Yarden Bibas left his home on October 7th and defended his family with his body. He looked me in the eye and asked that the world be shocked by the manner in which his children were murdered. It’s a horrific crime that cannot be reconciled with.” 

Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the most devastated communities in the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks, released a statement following the late Friday release of Shiri’s body, after the first body returned was found not to be Shiri’s. 

“With pain and deep sorrow, Kibbutz Nir Oz announces the murder of Shiri Bibas, may her memory be a blessing, who was kidnapped from her home,” the statement read. “Today, after 16 unbearable months, this painful circle has finally been closed for the family and in the coming days she will return, together with her two small sons, to eternal rest in the soil of Israel.” 

The Bibas family issued a statement after the return of her body and the announcement that she, like her boys, had been murdered in captivity. 

“Last night, our Shiri was brought home. After the identification process at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, we received the news this morning that our Shiri was murdered in captivity and has now returned home to her sons, her husband, her sister, and her entire family to rest. Despite the fear for their fate, we continued to hope that we would get to hug them, and now we are in pain and broken. For 16 months we have asked for certainty, and now there is no consolation, but we hope for the beginning of closure. Shiri was a wonderful mother to Ariel and Kfir, a loving partner to Yarden, a devoted sister and aunt and an amazing friend. At this difficult time, we continue to demand and call for the immediate return of the rest of the abductees who are still in captivity. There is no more important goal than this. There will be no rehabilitation without them.” 

On Sunday morning, the family requested that no government official attend the funeral for Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir in keeping with their previously expressed desire for privacy for Yarden and respect for his situation.