Yarden Bibas calls on US president to secure release of hostages: ‘I am here because of Trump’

Bibas was captured on October 7, 2023, in Kibbutz Nir Oz, separated from his wife, Shiri, and their two small children, Ariel and Kfir.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Freed hostage Yarden Bibas spoke to CBS News’ 60 Minutes on Sunday, calling on US President Donald Trump to use his influence to release the remaining captives in Gaza.

In the first televised interview since his release, Bibas, whose wife and two small children were brutally murdered in Gaza, had a message for the president: “Please stop the war and help bring all the hostages back.”

When asked what kind of influence he believes Trump has, Yarden responded, “I know he can help. I’m here because of Trump.”

Bibas was captured on October 7, 2023, in Kibbutz Nir Oz, separated from his wife, Shiri, and their children — Ariel, 4, and Kfir, who was nine months old when kidnapped. He never saw them again.

During a round of recent hostage releases, Yarden Bibas was returned without his wife and children, reinforcing suspicions that they had been murdered. Eventually, the bodies of his murdered family were released amid a festive Hamas ceremony that sparked outrage.

Hamas terrorists subjected Yarden Bibas to psychological torment during his 484 days of captivity, repeatedly mocking him by telling him that his wife sons were killed.

Journalists noted his “slumped shoulders” and “frightened eyes” as he was made to climb a stage in Khan Younis and wave to a crowd of Gazans before being taken to a Red Cross vehicle.

A fundraising campaign for Yarden Bibas, launched by his father, raised over $1.4 million in less than 24 hours to help the 35-year-old bereaved husband and father rebuild his life.