In a devastating announcement on Tuesday, Hamas declared that the youngest hostages of the October 7 attack—Kfir and Ariel Bibas, just 2 and 5 years old—along with their mother, Shiri, are dead. Their bodies, the terror group stated, will be returned to Israel this week.

The news has sent shockwaves across Israel and the world. Kfir, snatched from his home at just 9 months old, never knew freedom. He spent his first and last birthday in captivity, a stolen childhood lost to unimaginable cruelty. His older brother Ariel and mother Shiri shared his fate, their lives ending in the darkness of Hamas’ grip.

Israel has not officially confirmed their deaths but has expressed “grave concerns” over their well-being. The boys’ father, Yarden Bibas, was released alive earlier this month—only to return to the crushing news that his wife and sons would never come home.

“In the past few hours, we have been in turmoil,” the Bibas family said in a statement, responding to Hamas’ chilling announcement. “We want to make it clear that while we are aware of these reports, we have not yet received official confirmation. Until we receive definitive confirmation, our journey is not over.”

The return of their bodies is set to take place on Thursday, alongside the remains of two other hostages. Hamas has also agreed to release six living hostages on Saturday, some of whom have been held for over a decade, including Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed.

This development comes as Israel reportedly agreed to allow the entry of mobile homes and construction equipment into Gaza as part of negotiations. Despite ongoing talks, the agony of the hostages’ families deepens with each passing day.

The world watched in horror earlier this month as frail, emaciated hostages emerged from captivity. Revelations of captives being held in chains, alone, or without basic necessities have only intensified the urgency to bring the remaining hostages home—before it’s too late.

For the Bibas family, however, the nightmare has reached its tragic conclusion. A mother and her two young sons, their lives cut short by terror, now set to return to Israel—not as freed hostages, but as victims of a merciless enemy.

The footage below shows a touching – and now utterly heartbreaking – moment as Ariel hy”d meets his little brother Kfir hy”d for the very first time, as their mother, Shiri hy”d, sheps nachas.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)