United Jewish Federation of Utah decries news of Bibas family
Feb 21, 2025, 7:00 PM
SALT LAKE CITY — An outpouring of grief following the news that the body of a woman said to be Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas was instead the remains of a Gaza woman has reached people close to home.
Shiri Bibas and her sons Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 9 months old, were taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023.
The family’s bodies were supposed to be returned to Israel as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
On Friday, Israeli officials identified the remains as those of the two boys but said the woman’s remains did not belong to Shiri Bibas.
People have come to associate the Bibas family with the horror of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Ron Zamir with the United Jewish Federation of Utah told Utah’s Morning News.
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Zamir said the revelation was difficult.
“The depravity of the Hamas just keeps surprising us and surprising us,” Zamir said.
“The husband who was released earlier, they can’t even bury the mother with the children because we don’t know what happened to the mother. So the inhumanity is just mind-boggling.”
Shiri Bibas’ husband Yarden Bibas was taken hostage alongside his family and was released alive at the beginning of February.
The Associated Press reported that Hamas suggested a mix-up may have happened with the remains, but Zamir said he was doubtful it was a genuine mistake.
“These bodies were trading cards for them. They were kept. They were hidden… Frankly, they probably protect these bodies to get back their terrorist prisoners more than they protect their own citizens.”
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