Shiri Bibas, 32, and her two sons, Ariel, 4 and Kfir, less than a year old, were kidnapped on October 7 by terrorists from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz and murdered in captivity.
Shiri, Ariel and Kfir were taken hostage from their home and brought to Gaza, where they were held by the Mujahideen Brigades terror group. On the same day, Shiri’s parents, Margit and Yossi Silberman, were murdered in their home in Nir Oz.
Yarden Bibas, Shiri’s husband and Ariel and Kfir’s father, was taken captive separately and held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
In November 2023, terrorists claimed that Shiri, Ariel and Kfir had been killed in captivity, but the claim could not be verified by Israeli authorities, although they expressed grave concern for their lives. There was no sign of life of any of the three Bibases after the day they were abducted, only video of them being taken from Nir Oz and another video hours later just inside Gaza.
Yarden was released in February 2025 as part of a ceasefire deal, without knowing the fate of his family. Two weeks later, the bodies of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir were returned to Israel, confirming that they had been slain in captivity.
Israeli authorities confirmed that the three had been murdered by their captors, with the IDF saying that they had been “murdered in cold blood.” The terrorists killed them “with their bare hands,” then tried to make it look like they were slain in an Israeli airstrike, the IDF added.
Their date of death was determined as November 28, 2023.
Shiri, Ariel and Kfir were buried together in one casket on February 26, 2025, in the Tsoher Cemetery, right next to Shiri’s parents. They are survived by Yarden as well as Shiri’s sister, Dana.
Shiri was born and raised in Nir Oz, the youngest child of immigrants from Argentina and Peru. She attended the nearby Nof Habesor school and then completed her mandatory IDF service.
Shiri studied early childhood development at the Kaye Academic College in Beersheba and worked as a nursery school teacher for a number of years. In the last two years of her life she worked in the kibbutz office managing its finances.
The Bibas family, father Yarden (left), Ariel (second from left), Shiri and baby Kfir (Courtesy)
Shiri’s sister, Dana, said that they were raised in a home filled with love, compassion and understanding. “Dad and Mom raised us to be strong women, to love others and respect differences.”
She said that the sisters waited to be moms and aunts to each other’s children, “and you, Shiri, were like no other aunt, loving and protective.”
Shiri grew up next door to David and Ariel Cunio – who are still being held hostage in Gaza – who were childhood friends of Yarden. In their 20s, the friendship between Shiri and Yarden blossomed into a romantic relationship.
The couple got engaged in August 2017 during a trip to Italy, and wed in May 2018. Yarden called her “mishmish,” the Hebrew word for apricot.
Ariel was born in August 2019, and Kfir joined the family in January 2023.
Ariel, who was nicknamed “Luli,” loved Batman, dressing up as the superhero for Purim 2023 and was regularly photographed in Batman shirts and pajamas. In his honor, the Batman symbol became part of rallies and memorials around the world.
His grandmother, Pnina, recalled in the Daily Mail giving Ariel piggyback rides, watering her plants together with him and letting him taste from her kumquat tree.
When Kfir was born, the whole family was waiting to see if he would also turn out as a redhead – a trait they said came from his maternal grandfather. The extended family would joke that Yarden had the two most redheaded babies of any Yemenite Jew – known for their darker coloring.
At their funeral, Yarden recounted “everything we went through together — there are so many beautiful memories. I remember Ariel and Kfir’s births. I remember the days we would sit at home or in a café, just the two of us, talking for hours about everything under the sun. It was wonderful. I miss those times deeply. Your presence is profoundly missed.”
To his son, Ariel, he said, “You made me a father. You transformed us into a family. You taught me what truly matters in life and about responsibility… I’m sure you’re making all the angels laugh with your silly jokes and impressions. I hope there are plenty of butterflies for you to watch, just like you did during our picnics.”
And to Kfir, he said, “You brought more light and happiness to our little home. You came with your sweet, captivating laugh and smile, and I was instantly hooked!… “I miss nibbling on you and hearing your laughter. I miss our morning games when Mom would ask me to watch you before I went to work. I cherished those little moments so much, and I miss them now more than ever!”
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