Kfir Bibas is the baby who was only nine months old when he was kidnapped from his home to the Gaza Strip. Kfir's family will mark his second birthday in Hamas captivity tomorrow (Saturday), although it is not sure he is alive to celebrate it.
On October 7, 2023, Kfir was kidnapped from his home in Nir Oz along with his father Yarden, his mother Shiri, and his older brother Ariel, who was 4 years old on the day of the kidnapping and is now 5 years old.
Yifat Zeiler, a cousin of his mother Shiri, told Galei Tzahal this morning: "This is unbearable, a sign that he really needs to return home. We are aware of the lists and are trying to remain calm - how long can we prepare and wait for them?"
The family is pinning their hopes on the deal signed overnight and is waiting for news about the release of their family members from captivity.
Eli Bibas, Yarden's father, spoke this week at a rally in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv and said, "This coming Saturday, our Kfir will mark his second birthday in captivity. How is it possible that my grandson, who was kidnapped at 8.5 months old, will mark his second birthday in hell? How is it possible that he has not yet celebrated his birthday with his father, with his family, in his home and in his country?"
"In another reality, Shiri would invite us all to a party in Nir Oz. I try to imagine him running up to me and calling out 'Come, granpa, give me a present,'... Who would have believed that a two-year-old's birthday could be sad? Painful? So lacking? Prime Minister, the past year symbolizes for us as a people a year of fracture and destruction. The nightmare that has become the reality of our lives in the past year must end."
33 "humanitarian" hostages will be released over the course of six weeks in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement that goes into effect on Sunday. Three hostages will be released on Sunday, with a few more released every subsequent Sunday during the first phase. It is not currently known if the Bibas children and parents will be among those who are freed or if they are even still alive.