Prelude:

We want it to be known before you read this article that the events that are talked about are very horrific and tragic. This article is about an event that is still ongoing with hostages that are not yet released. What is currently happening to these people is hard to conceptualize from where we are. It feels like something out of a history book, a story that can’t exist in our same time. This type of dehumanization should not still be occurring in our modern world, and yet it is. It’s important to keep up with events like this, especially when it’s not at your front door. 

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Last week, four bodies and six living hostages were released from Hamas back to Israel and their waiting families. Three of these bodies were those of a Shiri Bibas and her two young boys, four year old Ariel, and her one year old child Kfir. Her husband, Yarden Bibas, and their family have been preparing for the worst and have long been in mourning, though this situation is one that is completely unfathomable and impossible to prepare for. According to The Times of Israel, Yarden has said that before the bodies were released he was praying that they were still alive and wanted to believe that saying they were dead was just a cruel joke. The deaths of Shiri and her two children lit a flame under Israeli citizens, many of them saying things along the lines of wanting a full on war with Hamas. 

Shiri and her children were among 251 Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. We don’t know the details of what they had to endure during their time as hostages, but we do know that Shiri’s youngest was forced to celebrate his first and last birthday in captivity. Shiri and her childrens’ bodies were released back to their family on Feb. 20. The next day, it was found that Hamas had returned the body of a Palestinian woman in place of Shiri Bibas. Hamas claimed it was a mistake and released her body hours later. 

Now, the Bibas family is finally beginning the process of planning a closed memorial for their family members who were taken from them.

Among the six living hostages that were released in the same transfer were three men who were abducted from the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7th; one hostage that had been in captivity for two years; and two others who had been in captivity for over a decade.

The release and transfer of these four bodies and six living hostages occurred due to the current ceasefire between Israel and Gaza. Hamas demanded that Israel release nearly 600 Palestinian prisoners for them to agree to a ceasefire and return their 10 hostages. Israel has delayed the release of their prisoners due to many violations including “humiliating” handover ceremonies of the Hamas hostages. Hamas has claimed that the release delay is putting their agreement and ceasefire at risk. This is very dangerous for the people who cannot escape Gaza, and the only thing it will achieve is more hostage situations and more deaths. 

It is incredibly difficult to watch this unfold from across the world, knowing that while we are going about our daily lives, there are people constantly fighting for theirs. That’s why it is so important to educate yourself on what is happening, even though it isn’t affecting you.