Audible gasps, tears of joy and cheers erupted in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv when three Israeli men were released from Hamas captivity as part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal.All three men were handed over to the Red Cross standing on their own two feet, a sight that turned a weeping crowd silent as they watched the livestream in Hostages Square.“Every week we come here,” said Shlomi Ben Yarkar. “It’s like our brothers and sisters. It feels like the same blood.”
This Shabbat morning, the hostage release came earlier than expected, giving people less time to mobilize and arrive in Hostages Square. Nonetheless, hundreds of supporters woke up early, filling the square to celebrate the release of the hostages leaving Gaza. The soul of the nation speaks in Israel, as most supporters have no direct connection with the families impacted.“You look around and you see the resilience of Israel. There is no other nation that has the strength and resilience like Israel,” said Clara Citron, who was among the crowd of hostage supporters with her father, Joel Citron.
Hamas created two separate handover locations for the three hostages, as Yarden Bibas and Ofer Kalderon were released in Hamas’s ceremonial-style handover in the city of Khan Yunis, while Keith Siegel was handed over in Gaza’s port area on the sea, also on stage surrounded by armed terrorists.“For every hostage that comes home, we have to celebrate,” said Joel Citron. “There’s always a cloud of sadness over that celebration considering they were in Gaza for so long. Looking at the difference of this here, and the spectacle that’s happening in Gaza with Hamas, it’s infuriating. It’s savage.”Immense, deep emotion struck the crowd when 36-year-old Yarden Bibas was seen for the first time during his release. The husband and father walked out of Gaza without his wife, Shiri, and two young children, Kfir and Ariel, who were also kidnapped on October 7 from their home on Kibbutz Nir Oz.“There are many tragic stories, but this one, they kidnapped his whole family and he’s coming back alone,” said Shoshi Nirel.
The Bibas family
The story of the Bibas family not only captivated the world but showed the cruel, barbaric reality of who Hamas is as a terror group. The family’s abduction was recorded on video and posted on Telegram by Hamas, showing Yarden being whisked away by a mob on a motorcycle with a bloody wound on his head.Meanwhile, Shiri was seen cradling her two red-headed children in a white sheet as Hamas terrorists took them captive in the back of a truck. Kfir was 10 months old and Ariel was four years old at the time of their abduction.There have been no signs of life of Shiri and her children. Israel has not confirmed or supported Hamas’s claims that they were killed in an airstrike in November 2023, soon after releasing a propaganda video of Yarden days later.The IDF Spokesperson said last Saturday there is grave concern for the fate of Shiri and her two sons, as the framework of the ceasefire deal says children and women should be the first released.“Thank God he’s alive, but we can’t even begin to imagine what his trauma will be, intensified about learning the fate of his family, which is uncertain,” said Clara Citron.On the heels of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Citrons just flew to Israel from Poland after they commemorated the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Joel’s parents survived the Holocaust and Auschwitz, restarting their lives in Israel.“It’s emotional. The largest slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust happened in Israel. It’s hard to wrap your mind around, and I think we have an obligation to save every soul we can and bring those alive home,” said Joel Citron.“It’s a lot to process, knowing my grandparents were in Auschwitz. I think about all the people who were never ever able to see the State of Israel, and we’re fighting for our right to be here right now. There’s nowhere else to be,” said Clara Citron.
The release marked another significant development, as the first American hostage was released from captivity since November 2023. Keith Siegel, 65, originally from North Carolina, was kidnapped with his wife from Kfar Aza on October 7th. Siegel was reunited with his wife Aviv, who was released in November 2023, and the rest of his family. It is believed that two other Americans are alive in captivity at this time.