Two little red-haired children and a mother begging for their lives, in the face of the evil of the Palestinian terrorists who kidnap them into captivity. The Biebs family was abducted from their home to the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, during the massacre by the Palestinian Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz. They kidnapped from their home the mother Shiri with her red-haired children, Ariel (4 years old) and Kafir (9 months old), the father Jordan was kidnapped separately. Shiri’s parents – Yossi and Margit Silverman and on October 21 burned to death in their home.
Efforts to release Shiri and her children during the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas were unsuccessful. At the end of November, Hamas claimed that they were killed, and blamed the IDF for their deaths in an Israeli airstrike. The news was met with skepticism, and it was claimed that it was “psychological terrorism”. A day later, Hamas released a video showing the father of the family, Jordan, who was also kidnapped, receiving the bitter news.
Shiri and her children were expected to be released in the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas that began on November 24. Israel saw their non-release as a violation of the agreement.
On February 19, 2024, the IDF presented the relatives of the Biebs family with a video that was apparently filmed in the southern Gaza Strip, in which Shiri and the children were recorded several days after the abduction.
Background on the family:
The Biebs family are members of Kibbutz Nir Oz. Mother Shiri, nee Silverman, and father Jordan, are married and have two small children, 4-year-old Ariel and Kafir, a 9-month-old baby at the time of the attack. Shiri’s family is of Argentinian origin. Shiri’s two parents, Yossi and Margit Silverman, who also lived in Nir Oz, were murdered in the attack on the kibbutz, and their house was completely burned down. Their bodies were only found on October 21.
What happened on the morning of October 7?
According to reports from the day of the kidnapping, the father of the family, Jordan Bibbs, sent a message to his sister to update her on the fighting situation in and around Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Around 06:30 he sent her an update about rocket fire, and then told her about terrorists entering the kibbutz. Around 09:43 he sent the message “They are inside”, and shortly after that he sent his family: “I love you”.
Many documents of the family have been distributed on the Internet, the most famous of which is a video of the terrified Shiri, holding the two children wrapped in a blanket in her arms, surrounded by armed men. Photos were later circulated of Jordan bleeding from the head and being pushed by terrorists on the day of the attack.
Are they alive or dead?
On November 29, the military arm of Hamas, the al-Qassam Brigades, issued a statement that Shiri and her two children were killed in Israeli airstrikes. Israel announced that there was no evidence of this. The next day, a video was published showing Jordan Biebs alive.
On April 17, 2024, a video was published in which Jordan Biebs was seen during the abduction to Gaza with his face covered in blood, and the terrorists abusing him.
The IDF spokesman stated regarding the location of the family that the IDF believes that the children and their mother are in the hands of the “Lords of the Wasteland” organization. According to Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and the Jerusalem Post, in early December 2023 all embassies and consulates of Israel lit their buildings orange or displayed photos of the family. The foreign minister emphasized that the display at the same time as the lighting of the first candle of Hanukkah is an act of solidarity designed to raise awareness of the atrocities committed by Hamas, and to mobilize public opinion around the world in calling for the release of the abductees.
After Shiri and her children were not released, their relatives started a global campaign demanding their immediate release. A cousin of the Biebs family made a request to speak with the President of the United States Joe Biden, the President of Egypt Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, to petition them to help release the family. He also mentioned that they are working with the Argentine government to help petition for the family’s release. Rallies calling for the release of the members of the Biebs family were held in several centers in Israel and abroad, including regular demonstrations in front of the house of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. A local member of parliament also participated in the demonstration in Vancouver and in many of them the color orange was emphasized.
As part of the public call in Israel and the world for the return of the Biebs family from Hamas captivity, the color orange became a symbol, due to the fact that her two sons, Ariel and Kafir, have bright red hair.
