Gantz: Israel believes it knows fate of the Bibas family in Gaza
Gantz responded affirmatively when asked if Israel knows the fate of Shiri, Yarden, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas, though he refrained from providing specific details at this time
Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity party, has indicated that Israel is aware of the fate of the Bibas family, who have been held hostage in Gaza since the October 7 Hamas-led attack.
In an interview with Kan 11, Gantz responded affirmatively when asked if Israel knows the fate of Shiri, Yarden, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas, though he refrained from providing specific details at this time.
“I think yes,” Gantz stated, adding that the public would be informed of their fate “when things come to fruition.”
The Bibas family, consisting of 9-month-old Kfir, 4-year-old Ariel, 32-year-old mother Shiri, and 34-year-old father Yarden, were abducted from the Nir Oz kibbutz during the deadly attack by the Palestinian Islamist terrorist organization Hamas.
The youngest child, Kfir, holds the grim distinction of being the youngest hostage taken in the October 7 attacks. Tragically, Shiri’s parents, who also resided at the kibbutz, were found murdered in the aftermath.
There has been significant concern and a concerted campaign for the family's release. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that Hamas had transferred the family to another Palestinian terror group within Gaza.
Attempts to secure their release during a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas were unsuccessful, with Hamas later claiming that the family had been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Yunis.
On February 19, the IDF presented the Bibas family’s relatives with a video showing Shiri and her children alive several days after their abduction, apparently filmed in southern Gaza.
There are speculations that the Bibas family might be held near Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, potentially being used as human shields against any Israeli efforts to capture or kill him in the tunnels beneath Gaza.