Family of baby Kfir Bibas – still held captive by Hamas – marks his 1st birthday with former hostages

The relatives of Kfir Bibas, together with former hostages and their family members, gathered at Kibbutz Nir Oz on Tuesday to mark the baby’s first birthday this week, on Thursday, Jan. 18.

“We’re marking a birthday for a kid who’s not here,” Yossi Schneider, a cousin of the Bibas family, told Reuters. “We make him a cake, we put balloons, pictures and blessings, and everything, and he’s not here,” he said. “It’s crazy.”

At nearly 10 months old, Kfir was brutally abducted by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, together with his 4-year-old brother Ariel, and their mother Shiri, 32. The father, Yarden Bibas (34) was also abducted, but was separated from the rest of the family. It has now been 103 days.

Participants at the somber event used orange balloons, a reference to the hair color of the two brothers' striking red hair. The event was described by some as the “saddest birthday in the world.”

Kibbutz Nir Oz was one of the worst-hit Israeli communities during the Hamas-led brutal invasion of southern Israeli border communities. Terrorists massacred some 20 local residents of the kibbutz and took another 80 as hostages, out of a total population of only 400.

Shiri’s parents, Margit Silberman Schneider and Yosi Silverman, were among those murdered. More than 50% of the kidnapped Nir Oz residents were women and children. In late November, some of them were released as part of a deal, negotiated between the United States and Qatar on behalf of Israel and the Hamas terror organization.

The fate of the Bibas family has made headlines in the international media, ever since video footage from Oct. 7 showed a terrified Shiri trying to protect her young children while surrounded by armed terrorists.

In late November, Schneider told the media he was not sure whether the Bibas family members were dead or alive.

“We don't know if they are alive or wounded; Yarden was wounded when he was abducted,” Schneider said.

His comments came after Hamas claimed that Shiri and her two young children were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip.

However, Hamas has a long history of using psychological warfare, sometimes claiming hostages are killed, who later turn out to be alive. In addition, the IDF Spokesperson’s Office blasted Hamas for its inhumane treatment of vulnerable civilians like women and young children.

“The barbarism and cruelty of Hamas is on full display to the world,” the IDF spokesperson’s office stated.

“Hamas is wholly responsible for the security of all hostages in the Gaza Strip. Hamas must be held accountable. Hamas’s actions continue to endanger the hostages, which include nine children. Hamas must immediately release our hostages,” official statement added.

The terror organization and its operatives are still holding about 136 hostages and it is unclear how many of them still remain alive. One released hostage, Nili Margalit, recently recalled what she witnessed when Hamas terrorists informed Yarden Bibas about the alleged death of his wife Shiri and children Kfir and Ariel.

In late November, Hamas released a propaganda video with a visibly heartbroken Yarden, after he was told that his wife and children were killed. 

Terror tactics and the use of videos recordings of hostages to manipulate viewers by Hamas make it difficult for Israeli authorities to verify claims.

Earlier this week, Yossi Sharabi (53) and Itai Svirsky (38) who appeared in a propaganda video alongside Noa Argamani (26), were confirmed yesterday to have been murdered while in captivity.