In a statement released a day after Yarden Bibas returned from captivity - and while his wife Shiri and children Ariel and Kfir are still in Gaza and there is great fear for their fate - the Bibas family expressed their gratitude to the people of Israel.
"The amazing people of Israel, thank you for being excited with us, caring and embracing Yarden from afar," they said in their statement, a day after-some 484 days in Hamas captivity Yarden Bibas was released alongside Ofer Calderon and Keith Siegel. "Your support is felt and appreciated. Yarden is here and finally air is entering his lungs."
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Yarden Bibas enters the hospital upon his return from Gaza to be reunited with his family members
(Photo: Omer Meron / GPO)
The Bibas family said that "Yarden has lost a lot of weight, but he feels good, his physical condition is normal. He is strong and amazing."
They emphasized that "along with acclimatization and the beginning of Yarden's rehabilitation journey, we continue to fight for Shiri, Ariel and Kfir, and all the other 76 hostages who must not be left behind. Tomorrow evening we will make a statement to the media. Until then, we ask that our privacy be respected and that we be allowed the time and peace that we need."
On Saturday afternoon, after he returned from captivity, his family announced that "Yarden is home. A quarter of his heart has returned to us after 15 long months. There are no words to describe the feeling of relief to hold Yarden in our hands, hug him and hear his voice. Yarden is back home, but home is missing. Yarden is a father who left the military to protect his family, bravely survived captivity and returned to an unbearably difficult reality."
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The family asked to protect Jordan and his soul. "Respect his privacy and give him the space he needs so that his mind and body can recover a little. Thank you to our beautiful people. Thank you to our soldiers. Thank you and forgiveness to all those who sacrificed their lives so that this day would come. It will take us a few days to unite with Jordan, but we continue with the hope and call for the return of Shiri, the children and all the kidnapped. Please continue to make their voices heard and the urgency for their return. Help us resonate this now more than ever. For Jordan and for everyone. We won't stop until everyone is home," the family added.
Yarden Bibas is reunited with family members at the hospital after his release
(Video: Omer Meron / GPO)
The Bibas family has been preparing for the possibility of Yarden being released before his wife and children over the past two weeks, since the cease-fire and hostage release deal was reached. In an interview earlier this week, after Shiri, Kfir and Ariel were not included in the initial stages of the deal, the family even received an update that the fear for their lives was increasing, and in Israel officials demanded information from the mediators about their situation.
So far, no new information has been received following the demand, but the fact that they were not released in the first stages has increased concern about the fate of the mother and children.