Hostage Yarden Bibas Released Without His Wife And Boys
Still grave concerns over Yarden Biba’s wife, Shiri, and children, Kfir (9-month-old) and Ariel (4-year-old) taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7.
Hamas on Saturday released Israeli hostages Yarden Bibas (35), Ofer Calderon (54), and Keith Siegel (65) in the fourth batch of the hostages-for-terrorists deal.
“Israeli hostages Yarden Bibas, 35, and Ofer Calderon, 54, were escorted back to Israeli soil by IDF forces Saturday morning after 484 days in captivity,” the Israeli news website YNET reported. Keith Siegel, a U.S. citizen, was freed hours later in a separate exchange.
“A short while ago, the returning civilian hostages, Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas, crossed the border into Israeli territory accompanied by IDF and ISA forces,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed in a statement. “The returning civilian hostages are currently on their way to an initial reception point in southern Israel.”
“Ofer Kalderon is now taking off in an Israeli Air Force helicopter to the hospital, where he will reunite with members of his family and receive medical treatment,” the IDF announced in a later statement.
Hamas refuses to clarify the fate of Yarden’s wife and two little boys
Yarden Bibas is back in Israel amid grave concern for his wife, Shiri, and children, 9-month-old Kfir and 4-year-old Ariel. Despite renewed Israeli demands, Hamas has been refusing to clarify the status of Yarden’s wife and children ripped away from him by terrorists on October 7, 2023.
"Where are my wife and children?," Yarden Bibas will ask.
The pain he will soon feel is unimaginable. Our prayers go out to you, Yarden. We are all with you. pic.twitter.com/bR91svdcEr
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) February 1, 2025
Yarden was brutally assaulted by a Gazan lynch mob as he tried to protect his wife and kids during the Hamas’ hostage taking. As I described in my April 2025 post, “blood-soaked [Yarden] is seen paraded though the triumphant crowd of Gazans as they appear to shout ‘Allahu Akbar’.”
Yarden Bibas is back in Israel.
Yarden – an entire nation has fought for you and your family. And we're not done fighting yet. pic.twitter.com/fKrKffk4TF
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) February 1, 2025
The Israel Hayom newspaper recalls:
Yarden Bibas attempted to protect his family, but was taken just like his wife Shiri and their two redheaded children, Ariel (5) and Kfir (2), who was taken when he was just 9 months old at the time. Footage of Yarden Bibas’ capture on October 7 was released in April 2024, showing him being taken to Gaza on a motorcycle, his face bloodied, surrounded by a frenzied crowd. Additionally, Hamas released a disturbing video of Yarden from captivity in which he addresses the prime minister and speaks about his family.
The attackers who breached Nir Oz kibbutz arrived at the Bibas family home, drilling through the locked door with equipment they had brought, and entered the safe room where the four family members were hiding. The father, Yarden, messaged his family about the intruders’ entry, writing: “This feels like the end.”
Do you know how Yarden Bibas was abducted?
The death squads broke into his home, where he was sheltering with wife Shiri and kids Ariel (4) and Kfir (9 months).
He gave himself up thinking he was protecting his family.
Because what monsters would abduct a mother and 2 infants? pic.twitter.com/ud6HpOx3zj
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) February 1, 2025
Never forget Shiri, Kfir, and Ariel Bibas, who were kidnapped to Gaza on October 7.
What kind of monsters hold innocent babies hostage? pic.twitter.com/9NObzIvP0s
— David Saranga (@DavidSaranga) January 31, 2025
The Jerusalem Post described how Hamas invaders abducted Keith Siegel and Ofer Calderon from their homes in southern Israel:
Siegel, 65, from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, was kidnapped alongside his wife, Aviva, from their home’s reinforced safe room during Hamas’s October 7 attack. Aviva was released after 51 days in the first hostage deal, but Keith remained in captivity.
15 Hamas terrorists abducted the couple, forcing them into their family car at gunpoint. As Siegel attempted to protect himself and his wife, he whispered to her, “We have to escape.” Upon hearing this, the terrorists shoved him, causing him to fall and break his ribs. He was later shot in the hand and taken to Gaza, bleeding and wounded. (…)
Ofer Calderon, 54, a father of four, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz alongside his children, Sahar (16) and Erez (12). The siblings were freed after 52 days as part of the first hostage exchange.
The family attempted to hide in bushes near their home but were discovered. Calderon’s mother-in-law, Carmela Dan, and his niece, Noya Dan, were murdered by Hamas. A widely circulated propaganda video showed young Erez being taken to Gaza by the terrorists.
Keith.
Thank G-d he is standing, but he looks weak and so thin. This is what Hamas does to 65-year-old.
Don’t believe the propaganda about Hamas treating the hostages well. pic.twitter.com/LPzplolvaU
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) February 1, 2025
Israeli authorities are preparing to free more Palestinian terrorists in exchange for the latest hostage release. “As part of the ceasefire agreement, Israel will release 90 Palestinian prisoners—nine serving life sentences and 81 others with long-term sentences,” the YNET reported Saturday morning. In a three phase hostages-for-terrorists deal, Israel is expected to release nearly 2000 Palestinian terrorists, including murderers, rapists and terror masterminds, in return for 87 hostages — 57 of them thought to be alive.
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Comments
Keeping families together was not a high priority at Hamas.
I don’t think the rest of the Bibas family is alive. I hope that Israel can flatten Gaza after they recover who they can. Just go in and lay waste.
Yea, that is what I am thinking too.
Redheaded children, too easy to recognize
I find it very difficult to read about the hostages as I experience both sorrow and rage. I understand why the Israeli government makes so many concessions: pressure from the hostage families. Being a democracy the government is sensitive to public opinion.
What is to be done? First immediately execute terrorists in the future. Then they have no hope of being rescued by a hostage exchange. Do away with strict gun control so the average Israeli citizen, who has been trained in the use of weapons, can protect himself. How many of the hostages would have survived if they were able to fight back?
Finally follow a scorched earth policy. Show the world what real genocide looks like. Use thermobaric weapons, also called fuel-air bombs, vacuum bombs, aerosol bombs etc. The US used them in Vietnam. These bombs create extreme atmospheric overpressure and under pressure. From Wikipedia:
“The [blast] kill mechanism against living targets is unique—and unpleasant. … What kills is the pressure wave, and more importantly, the subsequent rarefaction [vacuum], which ruptures the lungs. … If the fuel deflagrates but does not detonate, victims will be severely burned and will probably also inhale the burning fuel. Since the most common FAE fuels, ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, are highly toxic, undetonated FAE should prove as lethal to personnel caught within the cloud as with most chemical agents.”
Horrible yes. So what was done to the hostages. The Arabs violated every rule of warfare. Start at one part of Gaza and expand the destruction until an unconditional surrender is achieved.
The Europeans will have a fit. So what? Europe has a long history of antisemitism, including the Allies and NATO. I have a plan on how to deal with Europe, and other antisemitic countries. Israel must resort to extreme measures, or eventually it will be destroyed. Iran will get nuclear weapons, and it might have already developed them. Even our own government seems to be unaware of how testing can be done it secret.
Meanwhile pray for more hostage releases. The world should remember, the Jews are only ancient people who have survived to modern times. All the others have disappeared into the sands of time.
It’s not just about pressure…it’s about getting back innocent people. Hamas can be vanquished again, but these innocents are worth more than animals. I hope the scum are all wiped off the map after the exchanges, no quarter given.
Yes, what’s another 2000 terrorists to kill? After they get as many hostages back as they can, level Gaza once and for all. If surrounding Muslim countries won’t take these animals in, too bad. Israel should not either.
When even their co-religionists refuse to have anything to do with them, Gazans have proven themselves beyond any hope of mercy or justice; Annihilation is all that’s left.
Israel was desperate to get Gilad Shalit back. So desperate they released over a thousand Palestinian criminals and terrorists, including Yahya Sinwar who later orchestrated the Oct 7th attacks, killing 1200 civilians. Every time they trade criminals and terrorists for civilians, they lose more than they gain.
Excellent post. All I can say is:
[ …seething… ]
I would prefer that terrorist be dosed with gamma radiation on their way to release, they will be incapable of waging further war, die slowly and painfully, a measure of justice. The gloves must come off. No Mercy!!!!
Hamas and Gaza are nothing but groups of animals–I don’t think those poor children are alive, and if that’s the case, the minute Israel gets back all of the alive hostages (assuming we can even figure that out) they should just turn Gaza into a parking lot–the civilians there are as bad as any of the Hamas fighters
Unfortunately, any people are responsible for the government they have. They either control it, and are directly responsible, or they do not control it, in which case they are indirectly responsible for not turning it out. (Even people who have been disarmed by their governments are still responsible for them – they allowed themselves to be disarmed.) The government and the people cannot be separated. The people support the war effort by their very existence (the keep the economy running, even when they’re opposed to a war). Does anyone think if Iran got the upper hand over Israel that it would make any distinction between government Jews and civilian Jews? Why should Israel behave any differently when its very existence is threatened?