Janice R. Andrews
Israel’s Tel Aviv on January 19, 2024
On Thursday, hundreds came together in a heartfelt show of support to celebrate the first birthday of Kfir Bibas, the one-year-old redheaded child who is being held captive by Hamas, in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square. Family, friends, and supporters of the ginger-haired infant released orange balloons bearing the tragic phrase, “The saddest birthday in the world.”
Before, Hamas had declared without evidence that Kfir, his mother Shiri, and his 4-year-old brother Ariel were all dead. Kfir’s family, though, never gives up hope since they think the baby and the other two captives are still alive. If accurate, Kfir’s time in captivity amounts to roughly 25% of his total life.
A letter from Yarden’s sister, Ofri Bibas, pleading with Israel to intervene and bring Kfir home, was read during the birthday celebration. Yosi Shnaider, Shiri’s cousin, spoke eloquently to the assembly about how urgent it is that they be released.
“They need to be released today, and we can’t forget them for one moment,” Shnaider said. “Stop showing me depressed faces! We must cry out to the sky that our parents, grandparents, siblings, and kids are there.”
The sombre protest in Tel Aviv came the day after US House lawmakers staged a sombre candlelight vigil at the Capitol to show support for Kfir and the other hostages.
The youngest of the 253 captives that Hamas took during the attack on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of almost 1,200 Israelis, Kfir Bibas, came to represent the sad circumstances. The Bibas family, also referred to as “The Reds,” was photographed being removed from their Kibbutz Nir Oz residence. Later, Yarden Bibas, the father, appeared in a propaganda video issued by Hamas in which he claimed his family had been killed in an Israeli airstrike. Kfir’s safe return is still what the family and their allies are demanding.
