Israel and Hamas have reportedly agreed to speed up the pace at which the hostage turnover/prisoner exchange is taking place in order to close out phase one of the ceasefire deal. As part of this new arrangement, Hamas has agreed to turn over the bodies of four dead Israeli hostages, and it's widely believed that the bodies of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas will be among them. The bodies are expected to be returned this Thursday.

Hamas says Kfir Bibas and Ariel, 2 and 5, and their mom are dead, and their bodies will be sent back to Israel this week https://t.co/44RZA6JRza pic.twitter.com/IlZextaDHU

— New York Post (@nypost) February 18, 2025

Representatives for Israel and Hamas have been meeting with mediators in Egypt to hash out the terms for expediting the previously agreed upon terms of the ceasefire deal. Talks took on a new urgency after President Donald Trump put Hamas on notice that its "dribs and drabs" approach to releasing the hostages was no longer acceptable, and he warned that "all hell" would "break out" if the terrorists didn't release all of the hostages.

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Tuesday's agreement means that all living hostages who were part of phase one will be home by this Saturday. Among the six hostages expected to be released that day are two Israeli men, Avera Menegistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who have been held hostage by Hamas for over a decade.

The fate of the Bibas family has long been of great concern, especially when they were not part of the early hostage releases of women and children. Video of a clearly distressed Shiri Bibas cradling her two boys while surrounded by masked terrorists was one of the most disturbing images to emerge from October 7, and Hamas has cruelly withheld definitive information about the wellbeing of the mother and her two redheaded boys. Israel has also voiced "grave concern" for the safety of the family.

Shiri Bibas and her little children were kidnapped ALIVE.

They had better come back alive. pic.twitter.com/MurC9m8It2

— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) January 15, 2025

Father Yarden Bibas, who was also brutally taken by Hamas on October 7, was part of the hostage release that took place February 1, and, upon his return to Israel, was met with the heartbreaking news that his wife and sons were likely dead. Yarden is reportedly not giving up hope that his family will return alive. 

Jimmy Miller, Shiri Bibas’ cousin, shared with Ynet that the family draws strength from Yarden’s unwavering belief. "Yarden isn’t focusing on himself or what he went through," Miller explained, "but on bringing his family back to Israel. He believes Hamas’ claims about Shiri and the children’s deaths are speculative. If he believes, who are we to doubt him?"

With phase one of the ceasefire coming to a close, Israel will allow heavy machinery to be brought into Gaza to clear away rubble and 300 mobile homes will be made available to house displaced Gazans. It's not yet known when talks will begin on phase two terms, but Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya has said he's eager to get negotiations underway as soon as possible. Whether or not the Trump administration will be actively involved in these negotiations also remains to be seen, but Trump's warning is clearly ringing loudly in the ears of Hamas leaders.

A word of caution: Hamas has been less than forthcoming about the fate of Shiri Bibas and her red-headed boys, so, sadly, we won't truly know the fates of these poor souls until they are actually returned to their homeland. 

Update post-publication 2/18/25 11:40 a.m. ET: The Israel War Room account has posted a statement from the Bibas family:

The Bibas family:

"In the past few hours, we have been in turmoil following Hamas spokesperson's announcement about the planned return of our Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir this Thursday as part of the hostages' remains release phase.

We want to make it clear that while we are aware of…

— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) February 18, 2025

We want to make it clear that while we are aware of these reports, we have not yet received any official confirmation regarding this matter. Until we receive definitive confirmation, our journey is not over. 

We ask the media and the public to respect our privacy and refrain from contacting us about this matter."