Israel mourns the loss of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas

(JNS) - Kibbutz Nir Oz announced early Saturday morning that resident Shiri Bibas was murdered while held captive in Gaza, after Hamas said it returned her body to Israel late the previous night.

"With pain and deep sorrow, Kibbutz Nir Oz announces the murder of Shiri Bibas, may her memory be a blessing, who was kidnapped from her home," according to a statement from the community.

On Thursday, Hamas returned the bodies of the Bibas children, Kfir and Ariel, along with that of octogenarian Oded Lifshitz. However, the fourth body freed from Gaza, which Hamas said was that of Shiri Bibis, was found to belong to an unidentified person.

The Palestinian terror group on Friday night handed over Shiri's body to the Red Cross, which in turn delivered the corpse to Israel for identification.

"Shiri is brought home after 505 days," The Hostage and Missing Families Forum subsequently confirmed in a statement on Saturday.

"Shiri Bibas was abducted at the age of 32, along with her two young boys from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. On October 7th the world held its breath in agony, watching the horrific images of Shiri, holding Ariel and Kfir in her arms, as she was abducted at gunpoint," it continued.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog mourned the return of the bodies the four Israelis from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip.

"Agony. Pain. There are no words. Our hearts - the hearts of an entire nation - lie in tatters," Herzog posted to X.

"On behalf of the State of Israel, I bow my head and ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness for not protecting you on that terrible day. Forgiveness for not bringing you home safely. May their memory be a blessing," he added.

"Today, we all mourn the loss of this lioness mother, who fiercely defended her sons until the very end."

The forum shortly thereafter released a statement on behalf of the Bibas family.

"Following the identification process at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, we received this morning the news we had dreaded-our Shiri was murdered in captivity and has now returned home to her sons, husband, sister, and all her family for rest.

"Despite our fears about their fate, we continued to hope that we would get to embrace them, and now we are in pain and heartbroken," continued the statement. "For 16 months we sought certainty, and now that it's here, it brings no comfort, though we hope it marks the beginning of closure....

"In this difficult hour, we continue to demand and call for the immediate return of the remaining hostages still in captivity. There is no more important goal. There can be no rehabilitation without them."

On Oct. 7, 2023, terrorists overtook Kibbutz Nir Oz. They breached the Bibas family home's door using a drill and equipment they had brought with them and entered the safe room where the four were hiding. Yarden reported the attack to his wider family in real-time, writing that "it feels like the end."

He attempted to defend the family with his personal weapon but was overwhelmed.

The video of Shiri's kidnapping-trying to protect her two children with her arms and fear written on her face as she was surrounded by masked men with weapons-became a symbol of the Oct. 7 massacre. Shiri's parents, Yossi and Margit Silberman, were also murdered that day.

Yarden Bibas was freed on Feb. 1 after 484 days in Hamas captivity.