Saturday
Yom Shabbat
24 Shevat 5785
February 22 2025
UPDATE 12:30 PM ISRAEL TIME
Tal Shoham (with the red sweatshirt and microphone), and hooded Avra Mengistu were released at 9:30 am. Both were much thinner than when we saw them last. Avra had difficulty walking, and seemed completely mystified as to what was happening–not surprising given his mental incapacity.
As to the final 4 being released today, Hamas once again changed the schedule. The Israeli-Arab Muslim, Hisham al-Sayed, is being released separately later this afternoon in Gaza City because the savages (in their words) “are honoring the fact that he is a Palestinian”:
The release of the other three–(l-r below) Elia Cohen, Omar Shem Tov, Omar Wankert,–was delayed by over an hour at Nuseirat just to taunt Israeli families even more.
The ceremony was disgustingly punctuated by Omar Shem Tov waving to the crowd, signaling a peace sign, and even kissing his captors. It was a pathetic example of Stockholm Syndrome.
This morning, pathologists at Abu Kabir revealed that the Bibas children were choked to death and then their skulls were crushed.
After the release of Shiri Bibas’ body, those of her children, and the 6 live hostages where do we stand with the hostages?
63 hostages remain—36 of whom are known to be dead.
In summary, 27 more may be alive though though how many is unknown.
By the way, 602 terrorists were released from Israeli prisons today–445 of them were captured October 7.
UPDATE 8:00 AM ISRAEL TIME
Shiri Bibas arrived home last night, a day after her children Kfir and Ariel. We will never forget the horror (shown in the photograph below) she experienced on October 7 as she tried to protect her children. We now know that all three of them were murdered shortly thereafter by the vile scum who took them into captivity:
Her body was released by the barbaric savages in Gaza at around 9 pm last night a day after Hamas released the body of a woman who was not Shiri. Shiri’s body was immediately taken to Abu Kabir Forensic Institute for identification:
From the Bibas family last night:
“Tonight, our Shiri was returned home. After the identification process at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, we received the news we feared this morning: Shiri was murdered in captivity and has now returned home to her sons, husband, sister and entire family to rest. Despite the fear for their fate, we continued to hope that we would be able to hug them and now we are in pain and broken. For 16 months we sought certainty and now there is no comfort in it, but we hope for the beginning of a closing of the circle. Shiri was a wonderful mother to Ariel and Kfir, a loving partner to Jordan, a devoted sister and aunt, and an amazing friend. At this difficult time, we continue to demand and call for the immediate return of the remaining abductees who are still in captivity. There is no more important goal than this. There will be no rehabilitation without them. Details of the swearing-in and funeral will be announced later. Please give the family the space to digest and grieve. Thank you all for the support and love during these 16 months. I wish Shiri had been able to see this.”
The announcement from her home at Kibbutz Nir Oz:
“Kibbutz Nir Oz announces with deep pain and sorrow the murder of Shiri Bivas, who was kidnapped from her home on October 7 and murdered in captivity in Gaza. Shiri, who was kidnapped when she was 32, was born and raised in Nir Oz. For years, she devotedly cared for the children of the kibbutz as part of the education system, and was loved by everyone who knew her. For the past two years, she worked in the kibbutz’s accounting department, but above all, she was a devoted mother, who devoted herself to parenting with endless love. Shiri, Yarden, Ariel and Kfir loved their home in Nir Oz very much, the balcony and the lawn, where they spent countless happy moments as a family and from which they were all kidnapped on October 7. Shiri’s parents, Yossi and Margit Silverman, were murdered on that terrible day. Today, after 16 unbearable months, the painful circle has finally closed for the family and in the coming days she will return, along with her two young sons, to eternal rest in the Land of Israel. Shiri left behind a husband, sister, nephews, family and loving friends who will always remember her with her smile, kindness and the joy of life that she spread everywhere.”
From the immense tragedy of the Bibas family, we shift our focus to the events this morning to the release of 6 living hostages. The release will come at two times: at 8:30 am the first two (one of whom is Avra Mengistu with severe mental problems, and Tal Shoham) will be released in Rafiah, and at 11:00 am the next 4 apparently in Gaza City.
Already another platform has been set up in Rafiah and is surrounded by uniformed Hamas terrorists, idiotically guarding with assault weapons and RPGs the two who need no guarding because they cannot even take care of themselves. Normal humans would be ashamed to form such a cordon –but Hamas terrorists are distinctly inhuman.
The scene in Rafiah is wet and muddy, matching the mood here in Israel this morning.
We will have another update when all 6 have been released.
The Weather Report For Today
From the Israel Meteorological Service:
“Today (Saturday) will be cold and cloudy. Local rainfall is expected from the north of the country to the northern Negev, and there is even a slight risk of flooding in the streams of the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea.
Light snow is expected on the high peaks of the northern mountains. Strong winds will blow in the south of the country. The peak of the cold wave is expected to arrive on Monday, when it will be cloudy to partly cloudy – and extremely cold. Light local rain is expected from the north of the country to the Negev until the afternoon, and light snow is expected in the mountains. There is a risk of cold at night. It will start to be clear on Tuesday.
Tel Aviv: 7-13, Jerusalem: 3-6, Haifa: 4-12, Afula: 3-13, Ashdod: 7-13, Beer Sheva: 6-12″ (all high and low temperatures are in Celsius).
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.