Israel in Mourning
Pray as Israel and the Bibas Family Mourn the Loss of a Mother and Two Children
In a macabre ‘ceremony’ staged by the terrorist group Hamas on Thursday, February 20, in which the bodies of four Israelis were released, an outpouring of grief spread throughout Israel. Many held out hope that Shiri Bibas and her two boys, Ariel and Kfir—who had become symbolic of the plight of the hostages held in Gaza—would be released alive. Mournfully, after forensic examination, it was confirmed that they had been murdered at the hands of terrorists in November 2023 after being brutally kidnapped from their home in southern Israel. Many landmarks in Israel and around the world have since been lit up in orange in honor of the ginger-haired Bibas brothers who were 4 years old and 10 months old at the time of their deaths.
Yarden Bibas, Shiri’s husband, had been separately abducted on October 7, 2023, but was released from captivity on February 1. Unsure of the fate of his family at that time, Yarden has since requested that “all the world to know and be horrified” of these murders. In an appeal to the public, he stated, “Forgiveness should come, first and foremost, in the return of all the hostages.”
Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir will be laid to rest in a private family ceremony near their hometown of Nir Oz on Wednesday, February 26. Many Israelis will line the streets in sorrow, waving the Israeli flag in support, as the family escorts their loved ones to their final resting place. Although no Israeli government officials will be in attendance, a large police force will be stationed along the processional route. Eulogies from the funeral will be made public at 11:30 a.m. Israeli Standard Time.
Continue to pray for wisdom and peace in Israel as they navigate the release of four more captives during Phase 1 of the hostage release agreement scheduled to end March 1, 2025 and enter into negotiations of Phase 2. Of the remaining estimated 63 abductees—five of whom are American citizens—it is believed that 35 are dead.
I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Isaiah 62:6-7
Photos of the kidnapping victims from the October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel line the walls of Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. Featured right are then 9-month-old Kfir Bibas and his older brother Ariel, 4. Hamas recently released the bodies of Ariel, Kfir, and Shiri, their mother. Photo by Tom Price.
(Top) Kfir Bibas before Hamas terrorists captured him. (Bottom): Ariel Bibas
Shiri lovingly tends her baby boys.
The Bibas family enjoys the Batman phenomenon together.
Worldwide pictures of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir have become emblematic for those taken captive during the Hamas terrorist invasion.
Israeli citizens mourn the murders of Shiri and her two young boys as their caskets were recently returned to Israel.
Family members await the release of their loved ones after more than 500 days of captivity. Four Israelis, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert and Eliya Cohen, who were released on Saturday, February 22, 2025, described being chained in the dark, starved, and abused.
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