Israel on Wednesday confirmed that the list of four slain hostages who are set to be returned to Israel on Thursday includes Shiri Bibas, her two sons Ariel Bibas and Kfir Bibas, as well as Oded Lifshitz.
They will be returned to Israel after 503 days in Hamas captivity. All four were taken by Hamas on October 7 from their homes in Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Yarden Bibas, the father of the Bibas children, was released alive earlier this month as part of a hostage-prisoner swap.
Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir were also among the 33 names listed to be released from Hamas captivity under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal, but it was only revealed on Tuesday that they were not alive.
Following the revelation that the three were likely dead, the Bibas family released a statement saying they were in "turmoil."
On Tuesday, Hamas's deputy head in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, said the group would release the dead bodies of four Israeli hostages on Thursday.
Bibas family
The family has garnered wide coverage as sons Kfir and Ariel were the youngest civilians abducted by the Gaza-based terror group.
Kfir was 9 months old and Ariel was four years old when Hamas abducted them on October 7.
Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigade claimed in November 2023, that the two brothers along with then-32-year-old mother Shiri Bibas had been killed, though the IDF never confirmed this.
Israel has not yet confirmed when the three were killed, or how.
The Hostage Family Forum said, "Shiri was a dedicated mother and accountant, known for her boundless kindness, who nurtured and cared for all the kibbutz children. She touched everyone's heart with her capacity for giving and love for others. Ariel, just four years old when kidnapped, loved Batman and playing with tractors in the garden. Baby Kfir, not even one-year-old when taken, had gorgeous red hair and a smile that could melt any person."
Oded Lifshitz
Oded Lifshitz, an 84-year-old, "was a journalist and peace activist who helped found Kibbutz Nir Oz," the Hostage Family Forum said.
"He dedicated his life to helping others and transporting sick Gazans to Israeli hospitals, and his grandchildren called him "Super Grandpa" for his wisdom and love."
Oded had an unclouded vision of what could happen if Israeli-Palestinian divisions festered to a point beyond return.
“When the Palestinians have nothing to lose, we will lose, big time,” Lifshitz wrote some years ago in Haaretz. “The question is, what do we do then?”
He was kidnapped alongside his wife, Yocheved Lifshitz, 82, from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. He was shot in his hand and was lying at the edge of his property the last time his wife saw him.
His wife, Yocheved, was put on the back of a motorbike and was driven to Gaza, her burning house behind her.
Yocheved Lifshitz was one of the very first hostages to be released on October 24, 2023, after 17 days. She was held separately from her husband, so she was unable to give any information about his condition.
"These are difficult hours for us after being informed that our beloved Oded is among the deceased hostages who will be returned to Israel tomorrow," his family announced."He was taken alive from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz."
"For 502 days, we hoped and prayed for a different outcome. However, until we receive absolute certainty, our journey is not over, and even afterward, we will continue to fight until the last hostage is returned."
"We ask the media and the public not to contact us about this matter at this time and to respect our privacy."
The family's abduction to Gaza
The IDF was able to confirm, after securing footage, that Shiri and her two sons were taken to Gaza alive. After being taken to Khan Yunis on October 7, they were detained by a terror group by the name of Kataib Mujahadin.
Following the release of the footage, the family said in a statement, "These videos tear our hearts out. Witnessing Shiri, Yarden, Ariel and Kfir, ripped away from their home in Nir Oz into this hellscape, feels unbearable and inhumane.
"Kidnapping children is a crime against humanity and a war crime. Ariel and Kfir are victims of monstrous evil. Our whole family has become hostages along with all the hostages.”
Dana Silberman-Sitton, the sister of Shiri Bibas, previously expressed doubts that the Bibas would be returned alive.
In an interview with KAN11 in October, Silberman-Sitton explained she told her daughter that the rumors of their relatives' deaths were true. “Maybe I also didn’t want to delude myself to avoid disappointment,” she explained.
Eylon Keshet, the cousin of Yarden Bibas, also spoke of the family’s plight. In August, he told Campaign Against Antisemitism of the struggles he explained he was “on the verge of crying any minute…it feels like torture.”