On February 2, 2025, Yarden Bibas was released from captivity in Gaza. Since the ceasefire with Hamas took place on January 19, there have been 16 hostages released from captivity and greeted with a long-awaited embrace by their loved ones. For Yarden Bibas, however, his return to freedom was not met by the embrace of the family he holds dear. His return was met with a continued tortuous anxiety about the fate of his wife and two young sons.
Who is the Bibas Family?
Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas were taken separately from their husband and father on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Kibbutz Nir Oz. At the time of the kidnapping, Kfir was just 10 months old. Now, at 2 years old, this young boy has spent more of his life in Hamas captivity than in the freedom of his family’s once united and complete home.
During his captivity, Yarden recalled that in November of 2023, Hamas terrorists had told him that his family had been killed in an Israeli airstrike. This information remains unconfirmed and could have been part of Hamas’ psychological propaganda, which they have been known for using. Deplorably, this was not the only time that Yarden was tormented with information about his family. Throughout his grueling 16 months in captivity, his captors would speak continually of his family, adding even more distress to a man who was already under excruciating circumstances. Though he has now been freed from the horrific physical torture he was subject to, he is still under the same psychological torture that he received while he was held captive. The kidnapping of the Bibas family opens up a new question:
Why was the Bibas family a target?
Confronting the Freedom Fighter Justification
A common justification of the actions that took place on October 7th is that, “this war started long before October 7th,” and that the perpetrators are merely “freedom fighters.”
This ideology unjustly places blame on the victims of this horrific attack, implying to the public that a 10-month-old infant somehow bears responsibility for the “oppression” of Gazans, and thus deserves to be held captive for the majority of his life.
The “justification” for the October 7th massacre is undeniably flawed. No Israeli governing body or civilian system is responsible for the atrocities committed that day—rather, it is the culture of terror that has been instilled in the children and citizens of Gaza. Kfir and his family are innocent victims of an organization that has taught children as young as 4 years old to hate Jews and glorify terrorism. Hamas has raised generations in Gaza to believe that the highest honor is to kill Jews in cold blood. The only thing that young Kfir was guilty of was being Jewish.
A Call for the Return of the Remaining Bibas Family Members
Sadly, little is known regarding the status of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas, despite Israel’s attempts to gain information from Hamas regarding the status of their lives and their return during the first phase of the ceasefire.
The Bibas family is just one of hundreds of families affected by this horrific situation. It is essential for people across the world to continue to combat the antisemitic ideology that their kidnapping was, in any way, justified and to continue praying for the hostages and their families.
Now, with President Trump’s new ultimatum, the delicate situation and mission to recover the hostages is as uncertain and volatile as ever.
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