Sister of Yarden Bibas: He is ‘still trying to come to terms with the horrible news’

Ofri Bibas, the sister of Yarden Bibas, says he is still struggling to come to terms with the confirmation of the murder in captivity of his wife and sons, and the extreme levels of public attention that surround it.

“Yarden is still dealing with the publicity and the fame of the family, and it’s not easy and is even frightening,” Ofri says in a public message shared online. “The reactions to the murder of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir move him very much, but Yarden is still trying to come to terms with the horrible news.”

Ofri says that her brother, who spent 16 months in Hamas captivity, moves along a “spectrum of emotions.” In the span of a few weeks, the family went from “huge joy” over Yarden’s return to “deep sadness and shock,” with the confirmation of the murders of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir, she says.

At times, she says, “he wonders how Shiri would respond to all this, and Shiri is not here to go through it with him.”

She asks the public to respect the family’s request that the funeral slated for Wednesday be for family and friends only, following a public procession.

Ofri says that Yarden sees the widespread support, and has asked to tell the public, “You don’t need to ask forgiveness.” The forgiveness they deserve should come first and foremost “with the return of all the rest of the hostages to their homes and their families… Only then can we begin to recover.”