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Agence France-Presse

Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas and her two sons Ariel and Kfir, whose bodies have been returned from Gaza, will be laid to rest on Wednesday, said their family, urging the public to line the procession route.
“This Wednesday we will accompany Shiri, Kfir and Ariel on their final journey,” Yarden Bibas, the bereaved husband and father, said in a joint message with Shiri’s sister, Dana Siton Silberman.
The family of four were seized by militants during Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked more than 15 months of war in Gaza.
Ariel was aged four at the time and Kfir nine months.

The father, Yarden, was recently released from Gaza under a fragile truce. Shiri, Kfir and Ariel had died in captivity.
The remains of the family who had become symbols of Israel’s hostage ordeal were among the first to be returned under the truce deal last week.
The handover sparked anger in Israel when the remains of the mother were not initially returned, prompting Hamas to admit a possible “mix-up of bodies” and finally hand over hers.
Yarden Bibas and his sister-in-law said in their statement that the funeral would “only be for members of the family and close friends”, but that they wanted to let “whoever wishes to pay their respects and be a part of this moment to do so”.
“The route of the funeral procession will be published in order to enable anyone who wishes to do so to accompany our loved ones on their final journey,” they said.
The family expressed their gratitude for the support they have received from the public.
The warm embrace, the love and the strength that you have sent us from all over Israel and the world strengthen us and accompany us during these moments of crisis,” Bibas and Siton Silberman said.
Hamas has long insisted that an Israeli air strike killed Shiri, Kfir and Ariel Bibas early in the war, but an Israeli autopsy said there was no evidence of injuries caused by a bombing.


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Israel-Gaza war

Bibas family invites supporters to Gaza hostages’ funeral procession

A woman mourns at a memorial for dead hostages Shiri Bibas, her two children, Ariel and Kfir and Oded Lifshitz in Tel Aviv, Israel. Photo: AP

The remains of members of the Bibas family were returned last week. Photo: Reuters

Body handed over by Hamas in Gaza was not that of hostage, Israel says

Palestinian militant fighters carry a coffin that bears an image of Shiri Bibas. Photo: AP

People in Tel Aviv, Israel hold a vigil after the bodies were handed over. Photo: AP

A Hamas militant stands near coffins during the handover. Photo: Reuters

Hamas ready to free all hostages at once in Gaza truce phase 2

People walk near a poster of hostage Omer Wenkert, at the site of the Nova festival where party goers were killed and kidnapped during the October 7 Hamas attack. Hamas signalled on Wednesday that it was willing to free all remaining hostages held in Gaza in a single swap during the next phase of the ongoing ceasefire agreement. Photo: Reuters

People carry placards with pictures of Kfir and Ariel Bibas, who have been held in Gaza since the October 7, 2023 attack, as people gather to watch news coverage on the day of the release of hostages in Tel Aviv on February 1, 2025. Photo: Reuters

Gaza truce: Hamas to hand over 4 bodies, including Bibas children, and 6 living hostages

People carry placards with pictures of child hostages Kfir and Ariel Bibas in Tel Aviv, Israel, on February. Photo: Reuters

Yarden Bibas holds a whiteboard en route to hospital on February 1 with a message thanking the people of Israel for their support. Photo: IDF via Reuters

Israel’s Netanyahu delays prisoner release amid Hamas’ ‘humiliating ceremonies’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington On February 7. Photo: AP

Freed hostage Eliya Cohen gestures from a van as he arrives at Beilinson hospital in Petah Tikva, Israel,  on Saturday. Photo: AP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to reporters in Washington on February 7. Photo: AP

Omer Wenkert, 23, reacts in Israel on Saturday after his release from Hamas captivity. Photo: Reuters

Tal Shoham (centre) sits with his family at an undisclosed location after his release on Saturday. Photo: GPO via Reuters

A child holding a Palestinian flag stands near armed Hamas fighters during the handover of three Israeli hostages to Red Cross representatives in Gaza on Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE

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World

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The remains of the Bibas family were among the first to be returned under the Israel-Hamas truce deal last week


The remains of the Bibas family were among the first to be returned under the Israel-Hamas truce deal last week.


Israel

War and conflict

Islamic militancy

Human rights