The fates of a baby and his four-year-old brother, taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023, have been on everyone’s mind in Israel since the announcement of a Gaza ceasefire.
Advertisement
Kfir Bibas, whose second birthday falls on Saturday, is the youngest of the 251 people seized by militants during Hamas’ unprecedented attack on southern Israel more than 15 months ago.
Hamas said in November 2023 that Kfir, his brother Ariel and their mother Shiri were killed in an Israeli strike, but with the Israeli military yet to confirm their deaths, many are clinging to the hope they are still alive.
“To imagine them coming back alive brings me immense joy,” Hila Shlomo, a musician, said at “Hostages Square”, a central plaza in Israel’s main commercial city Tel Aviv that has become the focus of protests and campaigns on the captives’ behalf.
“What happened to these children is a symbol, a symbol of man-made evil, but also of the victory of life if we manage to free them, whatever the cost,” said the 23-year-old, visibly moved.
Advertisement