Ofri Bibas, the sister of hostage Yarden, sister-in-law of Shiri, and aunt to Ariel and Kfir, described the recent period as “weeks of a nightmare” during an interview with Kan Reshet Bet.
“In the last 15 months, I think we’ve reached the hardest, the most tormenting, most painful moment and, unfortunately, I keep on finding out that there’s something worse,” Bibas stated.
She explained how the beginning of the hostage deal marked the start of a long and grueling wait: “From the moment the hostage deal was launched, we knew that it would be long and agonizing weeks until we saw them at home. We are waiting for them here, between the rumors and the messages,” she said. “There is no difference between what we knew yesterday and what we know today. They know that there is grave fear for their lives, since Hamas’ announcement at the end of the previous deal. We are not certain of anything and we want to hold on to all hope.”
Speaking about the uncertainty surrounding her family’s release, she said: “We don’t know when they will be released. It was not decided in advance who would be released every day. Hamas is providing a list. If there are misunderstandings, then there are negotiations about when they will be released.”
Bibas urged the public to act with caution regarding information about the situation. “We all need to take a deep breath and be patient, to think before spreading fake news and unverified information. We need information to come from official sources and not from the media and WhatsApp groups,” she advised.
She firmly reiterated her family’s demand: “We continue to demand to see them at the end of this stage. We will not let the deal end without Shiri, Yarden, Ariel and Kfir coming home,” she stressed. “As far as we’re concerned, we know they were kidnapped alive and we assume they survived there.”
In her final remarks, Bibas appealed to the public to keep her loved ones in mind. “I want people to continue talking about them until they come back home. I don’t know what to say, I don’t know what is right and what is wrong. We need the public with us, we need to push for the deal to reach the last of the hostages.”
{Matzav.com Israel}