- Israfan
- Posts
- Yarden Bibas Says He Encountered Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar While in Captivity
Yarden Bibas Says He Encountered Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar While in Captivity
Freed hostage recounts emotional reunion with childhood friend and chilling encounter with mastermind of October 7 attacks.
In a deeply personal and chilling account aired Tuesday night, former hostage Yarden Bibas revealed that during his time in captivity, he met face-to-face with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar the architect of the October 7 massacre.
Bibas, abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with his wife Shiri and their two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, was separated from his family moments after their kidnapping. Tragically, Shiri and the children are believed to have been murdered by Hamas within weeks of the attack. The terrorists falsely claimed they died in an Israeli airstrike.
During his time underground in a Hamas tunnel in Gaza, Bibas encountered David Cunio, his lifelong best friend and fellow Nir Oz resident who had also been abducted. “David is my best friend, he has been with me my whole life,” Bibas said in an emotional interview with Channel 12 news. “When he saw me for the first time, he was in shock… He thought he saw a ghost.”
Bibas recounted a rare and disturbing interaction with Yahya Sinwar, the man behind the October 7 atrocities. Upon Sinwar’s arrival at the tunnel where Bibas was held, the hostage made a direct plea to remain with Cunio. “I said to him that this is my best friend and I want to stay with him,” Bibas recalled. Sinwar, chillingly calm, agreed. “He said there was no problem. You can stay with him.”
But the moment of companionship was fleeting. Two weeks later, the friends were again separated without explanation. Cunio remains in captivity to this day. His 35th birthday is May 21st.
Yahya Sinwar, once the most wanted man in Gaza, was killed in a gunfight with IDF forces in October 2024, marking a pivotal moment in Israel’s ongoing campaign to dismantle Hamas leadership. Bibas was eventually released in February 2025 as part of a negotiated hostage deal during a temporary ceasefire.
His testimony adds another layer of humanity to the hostage crisis an ordeal still unfolding. As Bibas speaks out, the fate of his best friend, and many others, remains uncertain.
Share Yarden Bibas’s story. Help bring continued attention to those still in captivity. Subscribe to our newsletter for updates on Israel’s mission to bring every hostage home.