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Dear A.,
Devastation and anguish. Hope and elation. In the past 24 hours, seven Israeli hostages were brought back to Israel. An entire nation now grieves with the Bibas family and rejoices with the families of those who have come home alive.
Early this morning, Israeli authorities confirmed that the body of Shiri Bibas was retrieved from Gaza after Hamas despicably handed over the body of a Gazan woman in a casket labeled with Shiri's name on Thursday.
Forensic evidence
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revealed that Shiri was brutally murdered along with her children, Kfir and Ariel, in November 2023.
“With pain and deep sorrow, Kibbutz Nir Oz announces the murder of Shiri Bibas, may her memory be a blessing, who was kidnapped from her home,” her community said in a statement. "After 16 unbearable months, this painful circle has finally been closed."
"Shiri was a wonderful mother to Ariel and Kfir, a loving partner to Yarden, a devoted sister and aunt, and an amazing friend," the Bibas family said. "Thank you all for your support and love during these past 16 months. We only wish Shiri had lived to see it."
May the memories of Shiri, Kfir, and Ariel be a blessing.
Later this morning, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, Eliya Cohen, Avera Mengitsu and Hisham al-Sayed were released from Hamas captivity and brought home to Israel where they were reunited with their families after surviving an unimaginable hell in Gaza.
Hamas paraded five of the hostages on stage in two more grotesque PR stunts, with each of the men appearing thin and frail in front of jeering crowds.
Two of the hostages, Avera Mengitsu and Hisham al-Sayed, have each spent more than a decade in Hamas captivity.
"They return from the depths of hell to begin the process of healing and recovery alongside their loving families, who fought with all their strength for them," Israeli President Isaac Herzog said.
In another disgusting act of psychological warfare, Hamas brought two other hostages, Eviatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal, to watch the release of the hostages. The terrorists filmed a propaganda video of Eviatar and Guy reading scripted lines calling on Israeli officials to secure their release.
Eviatar's sister, Yeela, called Hamas “monsters” after watching the clip, saying: “They are alive. They put both of them this morning in the most horrifying and evil situation they could be. There is no limit to the messed-up cynicism of these monsters. I admire you, my brothers.”
Tal Shoham, 40, was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists on October 7 while visiting his wife’s family on Kibbutz Be’eri.
His wife, Adi, their children, Nave and Yahel, and his mother-in-law, Shoshan, were also abducted that day and returned home after 50 days in captivity. There was no sign of life from Tal during the entirety of his captivity.
"Tal is a resident of Ma'ale Tzvia, a developer of economic forecasting software, and a family man who believes in peace and the importance of community. He volunteers at Magen David Adom, loves animals, and trains dogs," according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
Today, Tal returned to Israel and reunited with his family. Alongside his son on an Israeli Air Force helicopter to bring him home, Tal held up a sign that read, "Freedom! It's crazy!"
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Eliya Cohen, 27, was with his fiance, Ziv, at the Nova Festival when Hamas attacked.
The two tried to escape but were chased by terrorists and were both shot. Eliya was taken into Gaza along with Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Or Levy and Alon Ohel.
Earlier this month, Eliya's family said they heard from recently released hostages that Cohen had been chained up throughout his time in captivity, had a bullet wound in his leg, and was given very little food or daylight.
Today, Eliya came home to discover that Ziv had survived the massacre, and finally reunited with his parents after 505 days in Hamas captivity.
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Omer Wenkert, 23, was also taken captive by Hamas terrorists at the Nova Festival.
He was in touch with his parents that morning, telling them he was “scared to death.” Their last communication with him was at 7:50 a.m. They later saw a Hamas video of Omer tied up on the flatbed of a white pickup truck, in his underwear, as the terrorists beat him.
Today, as he was transported by an Israeli helicopter to see his family, Omer held up a sign that read: "Now, it's OK."
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Omer Shem-Tov, 22, from Herzliya was at the Nova Festival with his friends Itay and Maya Regev, who were also taken hostage and freed in November 2023.
Today, Omer revealed the first details about what he endured in captivity. For 505 days, he was held in complete isolation and was starved, losing nearly 40 pounds. He was held in a tunnel and only saw daylight in the days leading up to his release.
Omer's parents, Shelly and Malki, finally got to embrace their son this morning.
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Avera Mengistu, 37, spent 3,821 days in captivity, after crossing into Gaza in September 2014.
Mengitsu, who suffers from mental illness, was spotted by IDF security cameras but made it through the fence before troops could reach the scene. He was picked up by Hamas terrorists and not heard from until the terror group released a video of him in early 2023.
The Mengitsu family said it had endured “ten years and five months of unimaginable suffering. During this time, there have been continuous efforts to secure his return, with prayers and pleas, some silent, that remained unanswered until today."
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Hisham al-Sayed entered Gaza near the Erez Crossing in April 2015. He also suffers from mental illness, and was taken captive by Hamas for 3,596 days.
Al-Sayed was not heard from until 2022, when Hamas released a video showing him looking sick and depleted in a bed and hooked up to an oxygen tank.
His father said he was shocked by the poor mental and physical state of his son following his release, saying he was “destroyed, emotionally and cognitively.”
“His mental condition is in a bad state, he doesn’t communicate, and he looks like he was in a torture camp for 10 years."
Nonetheless, "the long-awaited moment has arrived," said the family. “We thank all the people of Israel who stood with and beside us throughout the years.”
63 hostages, including 5 Americans, are still being held in Hamas' hell under Gaza.
We will continue to provide real-time updates on
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our social media feeds .
Cory Meyer
Director of Communications
The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.
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