Israel-Hamas deal draws renewed attention to hostage children Kfir and Ariel Bibas
Brothers are the only kids still held in Gaza; family issues statement urging against speculation that boys and mother, whose fates are unknown, could be among first released

For Kfir Bibas’s first birthday last year, supporters around the world gathered to wish for his return to Israel from captivity in Gaza. On this coming Saturday, his second birthday, the Bibas family may finally be close to returning.
Ariel Bibas, 5, and Kfir are the only children left in Gaza, after a November 2023 deal that saw the release of more than 100 of the 251 people seized in the attack by Hamas terrorists the previous month, in which some 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians, on the deadliest day in Israel’s history.
At the time, Hamas said the children had been killed along with their mother. Israel said it was investigating that “cruel” claim but has not confirmed it, and the IDF has since said it has no intelligence to confirm their status.
Now, with Israel and Hamas reaching a deal for another ceasefire, their names are circulating as likely to be among the first to be released. But their family is urging against speculation about their release and their condition.
The reports have stirred emotions among the many for whom the Bibas brothers have remained among the the starkest and most painful symbols of the hostage crisis.
There have been no signs of life from the brothers since the day of their abduction, when they and their mother, Shiri, became an early face of the violence. A video that emerged of Shiri carrying her children as she was taken away by the terrorists quickly gained attention due to her visible distress, the children’s bright red hair, and Kfir’s young age — being the youngest Israeli abducted by Hamas.
After announcing their death in November 2023, Hamas released a video showing Yarden, their father, who was abducted separately and had been told his family was dead. In February 2024, the IDF found more footage from surveillance cameras in Khan Younis of Shiri, Kfir and Ariel’s abduction.

Their relatives, like those of other hostages, have advocated forcefully in public demonstrations and behind the scenes for efforts to return their loved ones to Israel. Eli Bibas, Yarden’s father, spoke at a Tel Aviv rally in support of a hostage deal on Tuesday night, saying: “The nightmare that became our reality in the past year must end.”
In a statement on Wednesday, as it became clear that a deal was being finalized, the family urged against speculation.
“We are aware of the reports noting that all members of our family are included in the first stage of the agreement and that Shiri and the children are among the first to be released,” the statement said. “We have gained enough experience and disappointments and therefore there is no end to the story until our loved ones cross the border.”
The statement added: “We are waiting for certainty about their release and their conditions and are asking that no one reach out to us in this sensitive time. We are asking not to lend a hand to spreading rumors. We address the prime minister and continue the demand to release them all, until the final hostage.”
Under the terms of the deal, 33 women, older and ill hostages — and, if the Bibas boys are included, children as well — will be released over the initial 42 days. Israeli officials have signaled that most but not all of them are alive.
If the ceasefire holds, Israel and Hamas would begin negotiating toward the release of the 65 other hostages, younger men of whom some are living and some are dead.