Yarden Bibas ‘subjected to psychological and physical torture’ by captors

Released hostage Yarden Bibas was tormented by his Hamas captors about the fate of his wife and children during 484 days in captivity, according to reports after his release yesterday.

On the 14th day of the ceasefire-hostage deal, Yarden, 35, was released alongside Ofer Calderon, 54, in a staged handover in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.

A couple of hours later, American Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, 65, was later handed over to the Red Cross at Gaza City Airport.

(L-R) Ofer Kalderon, Keith Siegel and Yarden Bibas were released on Saturday from Hamas captivity (Image: Hostages and Missing Families Forum)[Missing Credit]

Yarden, his wife Shiri 32, and their two young sons, Kfir and Ariel, who, at the time, were 10 months and four years old, were taken from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas onslaught on October 7.

Yarden was wounded and taken captive, and his wife and children were abducted separately. A video of Shiri , stricken with terror, clinging onto in terror while being abducted became one of the most widely circulated pieces of footage to emerge from the Hamas attack on southern Israel, when 1,200 people were massacred and some 250 taken hostage.

Footage of Shiri, Kfir and Ariel Bibas being abducted on October 7[Missing Credit]

In November 2023, Hamas claimed that Shiri and the two children had been killed by an Israeli airstrike. Israel has not confirmed the claim, but it has expressed “grave concern” for their fate. Demands for Hamas to release details of their condition have been met by silence.

On Saturday, Kan, Israel’s public broadcaster said that Yarden had experienced severe psychological abuse by Hamas. This included being forced to make a video soon after being told by his captors that his family had been killed, where he is seen begging for their bodies to be returned to Israel and blaming Netanyahu for their deaths. The IDF considered the video to be propaganda.

According to Kan news outlet, Hamas terrorists would constantly taunt him about his family to him about his family, and now Yarden was now “clinging to hope” that he would see them alive.

Yarden Bibas in a carefully orchestrated release by Hamas. His wife and young sons remain in Gaza (Image: Getty)AFP via Getty Images

During his early days in captivity, Yarden was held with French Israeli Ofer Calderon and learnt Arabic. According to the Kan report, he was moved from place to place in Khan Younis and was held captive in both homes and tunnels.

Some of the hostage were kept in handcuffs for long periods or held in tunnels with little air, reported Israel’s Channel 12.

The report said that the men were subjected to both physical and psychological abuse, including being beaten by their captors and kept in cages for “opposing the terrorists”, but that seeing news of the campaign for the hostages had given them strength and reason to hope.

Relatives of the released hostages said they would frequently be given empty promises that they would be “going home tomorrow” and that the terrorists would give them food and then laugh at them as they took it away.

The captors’ constant lies meant that when they were told they would be returning to Israel as part of a ceasefire-hostage deal, they refused to believe the news up until the last minute, said the report.

The five Thai hostages, Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakham, Sriaoun Watchara, Seathao Bannawat, and Rumnao Surasak, who were released on Thursday as part of a separate deal have reported similar experiences.

On his release, Yarden was met by his father, Elis, and sister, Ofri, at the IDF’s Re’im camp just outside Gaza, before being flown by helicopter to Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv. There, he was reunited with his mother, Pnina.

Yarden Bibas being reunited with his sister, Ofri, and father, Eli (Photo: X)[Missing Credit]

A statement released by his family, who have been campaigning relentlessly, said: “Yarden is home. A quarter of our heart has returned to us after 15 long months. There are no words to describe the relief of holding Yarden in our arms, embracing him and hearing his voice.

“Yarden has returned home, but the home remains incomplete. Yarden is a father who left his safe room to protect his family, bravely survived captivity, and returned to an unbearable reality. At this time, we ask: Protect Yarden, protect his soul. Please respect his privacy and give him the space he needs so that his body and soul can begin to recover.”

While in the helicopter, Yarden held a whiteboard with a message to the public: “I thank all of the people of Israel for the support and help. I heard from my family that you fought for me, and I want to say thank you, I really appreciate it, it’s not taken for granted.”

He also wished his grandfather, who turned 90 on the day of his release, a happy birthday.