That Saturday, as Hamas terrorists kidnapped Shiri Bibas and her children from their home, they also targeted the residence of her parents, Yossi Silberman (67) and Margit Silberman (63) in Kibbutz Nir Oz. The terrorists completely destroyed their house by fire, leaving nothing behind. The couple's bodies were only identified on Oct. 21, 2023.
Margit Silberman, born in Peru, met her future husband Yossi at Kibbutz Karmim, where he was among the founding members. After marriage, they established their home in Nir Oz and raised two daughters: Dana and Shiri. While Dana relocated to her husband's community – a fifteen-minute drive away – Shiri remained in the kibbutz.
As an educator, Margit became one of the kibbutz's most beloved kindergarten teachers, nurturing generations of children with gentle dedication. Her red-haired husband Yossi, who immigrated from Argentina at 18, embodied peace in his daily life. He worked in agriculture and, in recent years, at the kibbutz garage. A longtime art teacher, he maintained a passion for painting and art history, particularly the works of Francisco Goya.
From a family of four, only Dana Silberman Siton, Shiri's older sister, remains. Reflecting on their childhood, Dana shared: "We spent countless hours outdoors, playing in the mud. We wandered the kibbutz on foot and bicycle, living carefree as children. We had no worries."
The Oct. 7 devastation at Nir Oz claimed 117 lives – children, elderly residents, women, and men were either murdered or kidnapped, representing over a quarter of the kibbutz population.
The massacre eliminated entire families, including Tamar Kedem Siman Tov, her husband Yonatan (Johnny), her mother-in-law, their 5.5-year-old twin daughters Shachar and Arbel, and their two-year-old son Omer. The death toll in the kibbutz reached 57, including at least seven residents kidnapped alive but later killed in captivity.
The terrorists abducted 76 people from Nir Oz on Oct. 7. Through subsequent agreements, 40 women and children returned in the first exchange, followed by nine more women and men in the second. Seven deceased hostages were recovered through military operations.
Kfir Bibas' kidnapping occurred when he was just nine months old. Communities across Israel and worldwide marked his first birthday on January 18, 2024. One month ago, on January 18, Kfir spent his second birthday in captivity. While Hamas claimed in late November 2023 that Shiri and her children had perished, they provided no evidence, and Israeli authorities never confirmed these assertions.
In February 2024, IDF officials showed the Bibas family security camera footage capturing Shiri and her children in eastern Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, on the day of their abduction. Though the video confirmed they were alive at that point, their current status remained unknown – 136 days after their capture.
The fourth phase of the hostage exchange secured Yarden Bibas' release on February 1, alongside fellow captives Ofer Kalderon and Keith Siegel. A week later, Yarden addressed his family's situation: "My family remains in captivity. They're still there. My light remains there, and everything here stays dark until their return." Upon his discharge from Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, his family emphasized that "the path to recovery remains long and incomplete until Shiri, Ariel, Kfir, and all hostages return home."
