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AGONISING WAIT
Bibas family break silence as dad Yarden among 3 hostages released by Hamas – but fears grow for his sons, 2 & 5, & wife
It is still unclear if the youngest captive, baby Kfir, is going to be freed
THE family of the young Bibas brothers snatched by Hamas have broken their silence after their brave dad Yarden was finally freed.
Yarden, 34, was released alongside two others after being held for 484 days - but his family is still "incomplete" with no sign of his captured wife and young sons.
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The heartbroken dad and Ofer Kalderon, 53, were handed over to the Red Cross in southern Gaza's Khan Younis on Saturday morning.
American-Israeli Keith Samuel Siegel, 65, was also set free by Hamas as part of the fragile ceasefire deal with Israel.
But fears are growing for Yarden's sons Kfir, aged two, and Ariel, five, as well as his wife, Shiri.
The boys were kidnapped alongside their parents from Kibbutz Nir Oz during Hamas' October 7 bloodbath.
Kfir was only 9 months old when he was barbarically kidnapped and forced to spend the majority of his life as a hostage.
The children and their mum were last seen alive in a video being marched through Gaza by cowardly gunmen.
Their location and health status has been a key area of concern since the bloodshed started with fears growing over all three of their safety.
The Bibas family are continuing to stay hopeful that the brave trio will soon be reunited with Yarden.
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In their first statement since the dad's release, the family said : “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 hands, embracing him and hearing his voice.
"Yarden has returned home but the home remains incomplete."
Tear-jerking moment freed Israeli hostages reunite with their weeping parents after hellish 477 days in Hamas captivity
They added that despite the father's safe return he has come back to an "unbearable reality" without his sons.
Kfir Bibas’ aunt, Ofri Bibas-Levy, told earlier this week: “Not knowing is so hard that sometimes I just want to scream.
“Just tell me, even if it’s the worst thing.”
In November, Hamas claimed Shiri and her sons had been killed in an Israeli airstrike — a statement Israel’s military said it could not verify at the time.
Their dad, Yarden, was reportedly separated from them and held in a different location.
Before they were freed on Saturday, the three Israeli hostages were paraded on stage by Hamas fighters.
Surrounded by green-headband wearing soldiers with rifles, the brave hostages waved during the cruel ceremony.
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Dozens of terror fighters stood at the makeshift stages with guns and rocket launchers as Hamas tried to look strong.
The terror group has been hammered by the IDF during the 16-month war, but it has survived.
The hostages were then collected by Red Cross vehicles and have now been brought to Israel.
Some 183 Palestinian prisoners in Israel are being freed in the other part of the ceasefire swap.
Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said earlier this month that the IDF is “very concerned and worried” about the condition of the Bibas children and their mother.
Baby Kfir turned two in captivity in January.
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Across Israel, posters of the red-haired toddler clutching his pink elephant have become a painful symbol of the hostage crisis.
Kalderon, 54, was abducted from Nir Oz alongside his two children, Sahar, 16, and Erez, 12.
His kids were released in November, but he remained in Hamas’ hands.
Siegel, an American-Israeli, was taken hostage along with his wife, Aviva, from their home in Kfar Aza.
Aviva was freed during a previous ceasefire.
Seventeen of the 33 hostages due for release in the first stage of the ceasefire have now been released in exchange for 400 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
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On Thursday, Hamas released seven hostages including Agam Berger, 20, Arbel Yehud, 29 and Gadi Mozes, 80.
They were the third group of hostages to be released from Hamas' terror captivity as part of the ceasefire deal with Israel.
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