Kidnapping and killing of the Bibas family
Kidnapping and killing of the Bibas family (simplified)
During the Nir Oz attack on October 7, 2023, Palestinian militants attacked the Bibas family at their home in southern Israel. Yarden Bibas was kidnapped separately from his wife Shiri and their two children, Ariel (4) and Kfir (9 months). The family were taken to Gaza and kept as hostages.
Yarden’s wife Shiri and the children were held by different groups in Gaza. Shiri and the children were photographed in the custody of armed groups, while Yarden was taken away on a motorcycle.
In November 2023, Hamas said Shiri and the children had been killed in an Israeli airstrike. Israel rejected that claim, saying the family had been killed by their captors and that their bodies had been mutilated to look like bombing victims. Both sides accused the other of lies, and no public, independent proof was shared.
Yarden Bibas was eventually released on February 1, 2025, after 484 days in captivity. On February 20, 2025, Hamas handed over the bodies of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir, along with another hostage, Oded Lifshitz, as part of a ceasefire and prisoner-exchange agreement.
Israel confirmed Ariel and Kfir had been killed by their captors, and said Shiri had been killed and her body mutilated as well. Hamas and Israel exchanged accusations over how the deaths happened, and the two sides did not publicly agree on all details.
The Bibas family held a funeral in late February 2025. Their deaths sparked mourning around the world, with orange lights lit in honor of the two young boys and other memorials. The case remained a point of political contention between Israel, Hamas, and their supporters.
Overall, Yarden was freed, but Shiri and the two children died in Gaza. Their deaths are contested, with both sides offering different explanations and no universally accepted public proof shared.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 14:25 (CET).