Yarden Bibas’s letter to Netanyahu: My family ‘could have been saved’

Yarden Bibas, the sole survivor of his family, was released before the bodies of his wife and children were returned to Israel.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

During a Knesset plenum debate, MK Chili Tropper read aloud from a letter that freed hostage Yarden Bibas had addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Bibas, along with his wife, Shiri, and their two children, Ariel (4) and Kfir (9 months), were kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023. Yarden Bibas, the sole survivor of the family, was released before the bodies of his wife and children were returned to Israel.

“Mr. Prime Minister, my name is Yarden Bibas. As you listen to this speech, I am sitting shiva for my wife, Shiri, and my children, Kfir and Ariel—innocent, pure souls who were kidnapped from our home and murdered while in captivity. They could and should have been saved,” the letter read.

Bibas noted that on the morning of October 7th, “The state was not in Nir Oz,” and instead, the kibbutz had to rely on local heroes to defend the community against the Hamas onslaught.

“Today, 514 days later, I return from Gaza to face an unimaginable reality: I had to bury my entire family in a single day. I wouldn’t wish this horrific nightmare on anyone. Despite the overwhelming pain, I ask you, in this moment, to hold back. The time for revenge has not yet arrived.”

“At this stage,” Bibas wrote, “We are obligated to immediately bring back our brothers.”

Bibas also mentioned his friend David Cunio, whom he befriended at a young age, and Cunio’s brother Ariel, who are still held captive by Hamas.

The hostages should be freed before any strategy to eliminate Hamas is implemented, Bibas said.

“Once we bring David and all the hostages home, I will be the first to support any action to dismantle Hamas. As a resident of Nir Oz, I understand that we must defeat Hamas because otherwise, we will never have security. But we must always honor the sanctity of life, respect the dignity of the dead, and ensure no one is left behind—because without these principles, we lose our very essence.”

The letter also called for a state commission of inquiry into the causes of the October 7th invasion.

“So many civilians are asking for forgiveness, yet so few politicians are doing the same. So many civilians and soldiers are taking responsibility, while so few government officials are,” Bibas wrote.