Bibas family: 'We received news about her that we feared – that our Shiri was murdered in captivity'

The body of Shiri Bibas, who was kidnapped along with her family from her home at Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, was identified overnight.

After the identification process at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir, professionals assessed that terrorists brutally murdered Shiri and her children, Ariel and Kfir, during the first weeks of the war in October 2023.

The Bibas family was informed of the identification and responded:
"We received the news we feared – that our Shiri was murdered in captivity. For 16 months we sought certainty, and now it brings no comfort, yet we hope for the beginning of a closure. Shiri was a wonderful mother to Ariel and Kfir, a loving partner to Yarden, a devoted sister and aunt, and an amazing friend."

A statement from Kibbutz Nir Oz noted that Shiri, who was kidnapped at age 32, was born and raised on the kibbutz. “She worked in the education system and in the accounting department at Nir Oz, but above all, she was a devoted mother who dedicated herself to parenting with infinite love.”

The statement continued: “After 16 unbearably difficult months, this painful circle has finally been closed for the family, and in the coming days Shiri will return – together with her two little children – to eternal rest in the Land of Israel.”

The process of transferring Shiri’s casket began last night after Hamas handed it over to the Red Cross. From there, Red Cross personnel in the Gaza Strip delivered the casket – which had been scanned – to IDF soldiers, to ensure it had not been tampered with. Meanwhile, in Israel, teams summoned to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police accompanied the convoy that transferred the casket from the Kissufim crossing to Abu Kabir.

After the identification was confirmed and the process completed, IDF representatives delivered the result to the Bibas family.

IDF Spokesman Colonel Daniel Hagari addressed the murder of the Bibs family members: “The terrorists murdered the children of the Bibas family by hand and tried to obscure the horror. Yarden looked me in the eyes yesterday and demanded that the whole world know how her children were murdered.”

It was reported on Friday News on Kan 11 that Israel expressed anger toward the mediators over Hamas’ conduct and demanded that Shiri be returned as soon as possible, without waiting for the next release. Before these recent developments, officials in Jerusalem made it clear that the response to Hamas’ violation would come only after the six living hostages are released this morning.

Hamas admitted yesterday that it violated the timeline for releasing the fallen hostages on Thursday and did not release Shiri, claiming that her remains had become mixed with other human remains following the destruction caused by Israel’s attack on the location where she was held. This came after it claimed that transferring the Palestinian woman in place of Shiri was a mistake caused by the Israeli airstrikes.

Shiri, who was kidnapped from her home at Kibbutz Nir Oz when she was 32, along with her two children, Ariel and Kfir – who were murdered in captivity by Hamas – was taken that day. Yarden Bibas, Shiri’s husband and the father of Ariel and Kfir, was also kidnapped on Oct. 7 and was released as part of the first phase of the second hostage exchange deal. Shiri’s parents, Yossi and Margit Silverman, were murdered on Oct. 7, 2023.