Ben Sales reports for JTA.
Just weeks after Yarden Bibas learned of the murder of his wife and children, Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas, plunging Gaza and Israel back into war.
Bibas, who was released from captivity in February, has spent the last two weeks campaigning for the war to end and for his fellow hostages to come home.
On Sunday night, he appeared on CBS’ 60 Minutes to make that appeal to President Donald Trump. He was one of four freed hostages to appear on the program.
“Please stop this war, and help bring all the hostages back,” he said, addressing Trump, in an interview with journalist Lesley Stahl.
“I know he can help,” Bibas continued. “I am here because of Trump. I am here only because of him. I think he’s the only one who can stop this war again. He has to convince Netanyahu, to convince Hamas. I think he can do it.”
He added that his captors would mock his grief, telling him repeatedly, “It doesn’t matter, you’ll get a new wife, new kids. Better wife, better kids.”
Bibas said the resumed fighting will not help free the hostages. He wore a shirt with the photos of his best friend, David Cunio, and Cunio’s brother Ariel. The Cunios are still held hostage by Hamas.
“He was with me in every big thing in my life,” Bibas said of Cunio, whom he’s known since they were in first grade. “He was in my wedding, and now I’m having probably the hardest thing I have to [do] with my life, and David is not with me.”
Stahl, who is Jewish, also interviewed Israeli-American released hostage Keith Siegel, and his wife Aviva. Both were taken captive by Hamas from Kibbutz Kfar Aza; Aviva was released in the November 2023 ceasefire and Keith was released alongside Bibas and another hostage in February.
The Siegels took Stahl to their home, from which they were kidnapped, and Keith related details of his captivity. He said he saw female hostages being tortured and sexually assaulted, and that he was also beaten and starved, even as his captors would eat in front of him.
He added that he grew dependent on the terrorists holding him captive, and that they would leave him alone for periods of time.
“Maybe that was a way for them to torture me in that way, in a psychological way,” he said. “Make me think, OK, should I escape? Should I not escape? Should I try to escape? but I’m pretty sure they knew I wouldn’t dare to do that because I needed them.”
A third released hostage, Tal Shoham, related that he was also starved, and that the hostages would give one of their captors massages in exchange for food.
He added that hostages who were with him, and who are still held in Gaza, discussed suicide.
“Sometimes the water tastes like blood, sometimes like iron, sometimes it was so salty that you cannot drink it but you don’t have anything else,” he said.
The released hostages interviewed by Stahl called for greater efforts to return the remaining 59 captives, up to 24 of whom are thought to still be alive.
“There needs to be a deal that will bring them back and finish with this whole thing,” Aviva Siegel said.
They took his wife.
— Yehuda Teitelbaum (@chalavyishmael) March 31, 2025
They took his children.
They took years of his life.
But they couldn't take his voice.
Yarden Bibas should be broken.
Instead, he's fighting for those still held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
The least we can do is share his story. pic.twitter.com/6H4zxnmFoc
