‘The Saddest Birthday Ever’: The 1st Birthday of Hamas Hostage Kfir Bibas Celebrated Without Him
“Hamas and [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar can be targeted any day. But Kfir, our other children, our siblings, parents, grandparents … they can’t wait. We must all take to the streets and demand their release, now!”
Hundreds of people of all ages, bright-orange balloons with wishes and blessings written upon them, top Israeli children’s musicians, cakes, and decorations … it was a perfectly normal birthday party—maybe even an extraordinary party by most kids’ standards. The only thing missing was the birthday boy himself, Kfir Bibas, and his family.
Birthday display at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv for Kfir Bibas, who has been in Hamas’ captivity in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, Jan. 18, 2024. (Aaron Poris/The Media Line)
One hundred and four days after the Hamas terror group’s October 7 massacre, Kfir Bibas is “celebrating” his first birthday. He just may not know it, as the world is “celebrating” without him. Young Kfir has spent over a quarter of his short life in captivity in Gaza, along with his older brother Ariel, 4, and parents Yarden and Shiri. The entire family was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Kfir is the youngest of the 136 hostages still held by Hamas—assuming he is still alive. If the terror organization’s horrific hostage video featuring Kfir’s father, Yarden, is to be believed, then Kfir, Ariel, and Shiri were murdered weeks ago.
However, with hope for the best and eyes toward a brighter future, Israelis marked Thursday, January 18 as “the saddest birthday in the world.” The Bibas’ relatives, friends, and hundreds of supporters from the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum—all clad in bright orange—as well as people from all over the country came together to show their love for Kfir and his family, and to demand their immediate release.
Among the performers were a children’s choir, Israeli children’s entertainment stars Tal Mosseri, “Little” Michal Weizman, Meni Mamtera, and Ohad Hitman—the nephew of musician Uzi Hitman—who performed one of his late uncle’s songs. Mosseri was the first to take the stage, dedicating his song to parents everywhere who work hard to protect their children. As he sang, a group of children joined him on stage holding placards with pictures of the Bibas family.
Mosseri then handed the mic to Israel Prize winner and actress Miriam Zohar. The 92-year-old actress was short with her words but hit at the heartstrings of everyone in the massive crowd occupying what is referred to as Hostages Square by the Tel Aviv Art Museum.
“I don’t know how to make speeches, and I didn’t come to make one,” said Zohar. “But I couldn’t see Kfir’s beautiful smile across the television every night and not say something. … May we celebrate Kfir’s 2nd birthday together with him.”
Actress and singer Michal Weizman also spoke and performed. As the mother of 6 children, she told the crowd that she couldn’t comprehend celebrating a first birthday in this way. “But,” she continued, “all we have left is to hope, to believe, and to choose good. Good has to come,” she said, opening her arms wide towards the blue skies above. “The skies are open so God will hear our prayers. … Happy birthday, little bird.”
One by one, family and performers took to the stage to sing to the birthday boy and then called on the world and the Israeli government to bring the hostages home NOW. And with each repetition of the slogan, the crowd responded with shouts of “achshav,” meaning “now” in Hebrew.
But the most passionate plea came from Shiri Bibas’ cousin, Yossi Schneider, whose speech moved dozens to tears. He spoke as a father and as an uncle to young Kfir—whose rolling laughter could brighten a room. He spoke of all the typical developmental milestones one might expect from a 9-12-month-old: crawling, walking, trying new foods, maybe even speaking his first words … and how Kfir has been robbed of all these experiences, because “instead of warm spaces, he has cold wet earth. Instead of sunshine, he’s underground. Instead of trying new foods, he has nothing to eat.”
“Kfir and Ariel don’t have a tomorrow,” Schneider continued. “Hamas and [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar can be targeted any day. But Kfir, our other children, our siblings, parents, grandparents … they can’t wait. We must all take to the streets and demand their release, now!”
Speaking to The Media Line, Yarden Bibas’ cousin Tomer Keshet discussed how the last three months have been torture: “Every time I hear my own kids laugh, or we sit down for dinner, or I change their diaper, I see Kfir. To take a baby and kidnap him goes completely against human nature.”
Tomer Keshet, cousin of Yarden Bibas who has been in Hamas’ captivity since Oct. 7, 2023, along with his wife Shiri, and children Ariel and Kfir, Jan. 18, 2024. (Aaron Poris/The Media Line)
Finally, before directing the crowd to close their eyes, make a wish, and release hundreds of balloons into the sky as a gesture of hope that the messages written upon the balloons might somehow reach Kfir’s eyes, all the performers and family members from the event came together for an original song titled “They call me Gingi”—Hebrew for ginger hair—in reference to the Bibas sons’ signature locks.
The heartbreaking chorus: “They call me Gingi, I was left behind. They call me brave, I don’t know why.”
People sign birthday wishes and blessings on balloons at Kfir Bibas’ 1st birthday party at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 18, 2024. (Aaron Poris/The Media Line)
