Kidnapping of the Bibas family

Kidnapping of the Bibas family
Part of the Israel–Hamas war
Shiri Bibas with her 9-month and 4-year-old sons Kfir and Ariel
LocationNir Oz, Israel
Date7 October 2023; 14 months ago (2023-10-07)
Attack type
Kidnapping, mass murder
AccusedLords of the Desert,[1] Mujahideen Brigades, and Hamas.

On 7 October 2023, as part of the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel and the Nir Oz attack, the Palestinian Islamist militant organization Hamas abducted the Israeli-Argentinian/Peruvian[2][3][4] Bibas (Hebrew: ביבס) family from the Nir Oz kibbutz: 9-month-old Kfir (Hebrew: כפיר), 4-year-old Ariel (Hebrew: אריאל), 32-year-old mother Shiri (Hebrew: שירי; née Silberman), and her 34-year-old husband Yarden (Hebrew: ירדן).[5][6] The youngest child, baby Kfir, was the youngest hostage taken in the 7 October 2023 attacks.[7] Shiri's parents, who also lived on the kibbutz, were later found murdered.[8]

Amidst widespread concern and a campaign for their release, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said that Hamas transferred the family to a different armed group within Gaza, the Mujahideen Brigades of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement.[9] Efforts to release Shiri and her children during a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas were unsuccessful; Hamas later claimed that they were killed as a result of an Israeli airstrike in Khan Yunis.[10]

On 19 February, the IDF presented the relatives of the Bibas family a video showing Shiri and the children while they were still alive several days after the abduction. The video was apparently filmed in southern Gaza.[11]

Abduction

Reportedly, prior to the attack the family had been debating leaving the kibbutz and looking to move to the Golan Heights, as they were tired of the constant fear and the proximity to Gaza and the rockets.[12]

On the day of the attack, Yarden Bibas was reportedly texting with his sister to update her on the status of fighting at and around the Nir Oz Kibbutz.[13] At around 6:30 am he sent her an update which included rocket fire, and then that the militants had entered the kibbutz with concern that his children did not know how to keep quiet. By about 9:45 he sent "They're in" shortly after having sent "I love you" to his family.[12] Yarden had reportedly first believed that the rocket fire was "just another bombing" and had hesitated to use the gun in the home due to the number of militants with automatic weapons.[14]

Multiple pieces of media of the family were circulated online, such as a video of Shiri holding her redheaded children in her arms, with a look of terror on her face as she was surrounded by militants. Multiple pictures found later showed Yarden, on the day of the attack, bleeding from the head, and being herded away by gunmen.[12][15]

Shiri's father José Luis (Yossi) Silberman, and his wife, Margit Shnaider Silberman, were also presumed to be missing from the kibbutz. Margit Shnaider Silberman moved to Israel from Peru in the 1970s. José Luis (Yossi) Silberman was originally from Argentina, both Silbermans were in their 60s. The Silbermans were later found dead and officially identified as deceased on 21 October.[16][15]

In captivity

A hostage released during the multi-day ceasefire alleged that she and another hostage were approached by Hamas members and ordered to tell Yarden that his family had been killed by IDF bombing. When she refused the militants ordered the other hostage to translate while they told Yarden, and filmed his reaction where he was allegedly coached to blame Netanyahu.[17]

IDF chief spokesperson said, regarding the family's location, that the IDF did not believe the boys and their mother were in the hands of Hamas[18] but they consistently refused to name any other group, saying only "another group".

In September 2024, a freed hostage claimed to have seen Yarden Bibas and Ofer Kalderon, both hostages from the Nir Or kibbutz in cages while she was in a tunnel under the Gaza Strip. The women stated that she was able to speak with both men during her time there and the men were released from the cages hours at a time to speak with her.[19]

Efforts to release

Shiri and her children were expected to be released in the multi-day ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that started on 24 November. Israel considered it a violation of the framework that they were not released.[20] After the brothers were not freed during the temporary ceasefire, their relatives launched a campaign demanding their release.[15] On 29 November, Hamas' armed wing, the Al Qassam Brigades, said Shiri and her children had been killed in Israeli airstrikes.[10] Israel said that Hamas' claims were not verified, and warned they could be psychological warfare.[18][21]

A cousin of the Bibas family raised a request to speak with US President Joe Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to petition them to help in the release of the family. He also mentioned that they were working with the Argentinian government to help petition for the release of the family.[3] In early December 2023 per Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, all Israeli embassies and consulates either lit their buildings in orange or displayed images of the family. The display was supposed to coincide with the first lighting of Hanukkah candles.[22]

Around Kfir Bibas's first birthday in January 2024, family members celebrated his (18 January) birthday and raised awareness for the family still reportedly held as hostages. Hundreds of people gathered at the Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to celebrate Kfir and his family with a performance by Israeli children's music stars and wore orange to symbolize the two children's hair.[23] Kfir's picture was also seen next to Israeli President Isaac Herzog while he spoke at the World Economic Forum that same week.[24] On 19 February, the Israeli military released a video which purportedly showed members of the Bibas family in the Khan Younis area.[25]

In August 2024, during the Redhead Days Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands which is known for celebrating people with auburn-hair, members of the Bibas family urged participants to spotlight the Bibas children and to raise awareness about their continued time as hostages.[26]

All photos are of street art in Tel Aviv
  • Whole family
    Whole family
  • Kfir Bibas
    Kfir Bibas
  • Ariel Bibas
    Ariel Bibas

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bibas family.

References

  1. ^ "דובר צה"ל: "משפחת ביבס נחטפה על ידי ארגון בשם 'אדוני השממה'. חמאס אחראי לגורלם"" [IDF spokesman: "The Biebs family was kidnapped by an organization called 'Lords of the Desert.' Hamas is responsible for their fate" 20.02.24]. Ynet (in Hebrew). 19 February 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Video shows the kidnapping of Shiri Silberman-Bibas and her children by Hamas gunmen". NBC News.
  3. ^ a b Friedson, Felice (7 December 2023). "Bibas family cousin pleads to meet with world leaders". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Released Oct. 7 Footage Shows the Abduction of the Bibas Family by Hamas". www.idf.il. 19 February 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  5. ^ Davis, Barney (15 October 2023). "Family share heartbreaking footage of nine-month-old baby and four-year-old boy who were abducted by Hamas". The Independent. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  6. ^ Sinmaz, Emine; McKernan, Bethan (22 November 2023). "Families of hostages in Gaza wait to see if relatives among those freed". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  7. ^ Goldenberg, Tia (28 November 2023). "The family of an infant hostage pleads for his release before the Israel-Hamas truce winds down". AP News. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Taken captive: Yarden Bibas, injured on his head at abduction". Times of Israel.
  9. ^ "IDF: Hamas abducted Bibas family, including baby, handed them to another terror group". Times of Israel. 1 January 2024.
  10. ^ a b Minsberg, Talya (29 November 2023). "Fears Grow Over Fate of Bibas Family in Gaza". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  11. ^ זיתון, יואב; שאולוב, רוני גרין (19 February 2024). "צה"ל הציג למשפחת ביבס תיעוד של האם ושני ילדיה מדרום הרצועה, ימים לאחר החטיפה". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Staff, TOI (25 October 2023). "Taken captive: Yarden and Shiri Bibas, and their redheaded babies". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  13. ^ Campoamor, Danielle (20 October 2023). "'Those Pictures Do Not Leave My Mind'". The Cut. New York Magazine. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Release of two more hostages gives some hope to families of others abducted in the attack on Israel". AP News. 16 October 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  15. ^ a b c Sinmaz, Emine (29 November 2023). "Hamas says 10-month-old hostage Kfir Bibas was killed in Israeli bombing". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  16. ^ "Margit & Yosi Silberman: Killed, 9-month-old grandson captured". The Times of Israel. 26 October 2023. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023.
  17. ^ "Ex-hostage watched Hamas captors tell Yarden Bibas of family's 'fate' while filming". The Times of Israel. 5 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  18. ^ a b Michaelis, Eyad Kourdi, Jeremy Diamond, Tamar (29 November 2023). "Israel assessing Hamas claim youngest hostage and family members are dead". CNN. Retrieved 6 December 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ Prinsley, Jane (12 September 2024). "I saw baby Bibas's father behind bars in a cage, says released hostage". www.thejc.com. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  20. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (2 December 2023). "IDF spokesperson: Hamas was supposed to release Bibas family in truce deal it violated". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 2 December 2023.
  21. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (29 November 2023). "IDF investigating 'cruel' Hamas claim that Bibas children, mother killed in Gaza". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 2 December 2023.
  22. ^ "Israeli missions worldwide illuminate in orange for Bibas family". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 7 December 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  23. ^ Lidman, Melanie (18 January 2024). "As the youngest Israeli hostage turns 1, his family pleads for a deal to release more from Gaza". AP News. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  24. ^ Krever, Ivana Kottasová, Mick (18 January 2024). "Kfir Bibas: Family marks first birthday of the youngest hostage in Gaza". CNN. Retrieved 12 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ "Israeli Military Releases Videos It Says Shows Bibas Family Members in Captivity on Oct. 7". New York Times. 20 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  26. ^ Weissman, Miri (27 August 2024). "Bibas family implore Netherlands ginger festival to 'remember your redheaded brothers'". Israel Hayom. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
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