A group representing the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023, has tragically confirmed that Kfir Bibas, the terror group's youngest hostage, is dead, along with his brother and mother. 

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum announced that Kfir, who was less than a year old when he was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists, his mother Shiri Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel were all dead. 

The group added that Oded Lifshitz, a retired journalist who was taken from his home in Nir Oz, was also dead. 

It is not currently known when or how the four hostages died, though Hamas claimed in November 2023 that they were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Their bodies are all set to be returned to Israel tomorrow, according to local media. 

A spokesman for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said: 'We received the heart-shattering news that Shiri Bibas, her children Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz are no longer with us. This news cuts like a knife through our hearts, the families’ hearts and the hearts of people all over the world.

'Oded was a journalist and peace activist who helped found Kibbutz Nir Oz. He dedicated his life to helping others and transporting sick Gazans to Israeli hospitals, and his grandchildren called him "Super Grandpa" for his wisdom and love. 

'Shiri was a dedicated mother and accountant, known for her boundless kindness, who nurtured and cared for all the kibbutz children. She touched everyone's heart with her capacity for giving and love for others. 

'Ariel, just four years old when kidnapped, loved Batman and playing with tractors in the garden. Baby Kfir, not even one year old when taken, had gorgeous red hair and a smile that could melt any person.

'They weren't just names - they were beloved people, with families who cherished them, with dreams and futures stolen from them.

'We grieve not only for them, but for the other precious lives lost, including four more deceased hostages who will be returned next week.

'We will not rest. We will not stop fighting for every hostage who isn't part of the current deal - for those still alive, clinging to survival, desperate to return to their loved ones and begin healing. And for those we know are deceased - their families deserve the dignity of closure, the basic right to give their loved ones a proper burial.

'This cannot continue. Not one more day. The second stage of the deal must happen NOW. There is no more time to waste. Not when every passing moment could mean another life lost, another family shattered. Bring them all home - NOW.' 

Kfir was kidnapped alongside his mother Shiri, father Yarden and brother Ariel. 

A video of the abduction showed Shiri swaddling her two young sons in a blanket and being whisked away by armed men. Yarden was released on February 1. 

Alongside the four bodies of the hostages, six living hostages will also be returned from Hamas's clutches.

They have been named as Eliya Cohen, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, Hisham Al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. They are the last living hostages to be freed under the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza. 

Three hostages had been expected to be freed on Saturday. It was not immediately clear why Hamas changed the plan. 

But an Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the country's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had agreed to allow long-requested mobile homes and construction equipment into Gaza as part of efforts to accelerate the hostages' release.

Hamas last week threatened to hold up the release of hostages, citing the refusal to allow in mobile homes and heavy equipment among other alleged violations of the truce.

Israel is expected to continue releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including many serving life sentences for deadly attacks, in exchange for the hostages. Others were detained without charge. 

Israel and Hamas have yet to negotiate the second and more difficult phase of the deal, in which the terrorist group would release dozens more hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.

The ceasefire that began in mid-January has paused the deadliest fighting ever between Israel and Hamas, allowed aid to enter devastated Gaza and let hundreds of thousands of Palestinians return to their homes as Israeli forces withdrew from much of the territory.

Israelis and Palestinians marked 500 days of war on Monday, with experts warning that there are major challenges ahead.

Israel's government says it wants to eliminate Hamas's military and governing capabilities in Gaza. But the terrorist group quickly reasserted its control of the territory during the ceasefire, despite losing leaders and many fighters.

It comes after an Israeli official said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed a close confidant to lead negotiations for the second stage of the ceasefire with Hamas.

The US-born Ron Dermer is a Cabinet minister who's widely seen as Netanyahu's closest adviser. He previously served as Israel's ambassador to the US and is a former Republican activist with strong ties to the Trump White House. 

The first phase of the ceasefire ends in early March. Palestinians and Arab countries have universally rejected US President Donald Trump's proposal to remove the Palestinian population from Gaza and take over the territory.

Since the war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023, more than 50,000 people have died in Gaza and Lebanon and nearly 70% of the buildings in Gaza have been destroyed, according to health ministries in Gaza and Lebanon. 

Around 1,200 people were killed in Israel during the October 7 attack.