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It’s been over a year since I last snuggled up with my baby nephew, Kfir. It’s been almost 390 days since my brother Ariel jumped into my loving arms.
Instead, baby Kfir, who was kidnapped at nine months old, has had a terrifying history as Gaza’s youngest hostage and has spent most of his life as a prisoner rather than a free man. And like millions of you around the world, the last time I saw my red-haired nephews’ faces was on October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists, along with my sister-in-law Shiri, captured them. It was in a horrifying video of a kidnapping.
For us, it’s still October 7, 2023. We are frozen in time.
My brother Yarden is also a hostage and is separated from his wife and children. It’s been almost a year since I sat on the porch and chatted with Siri and Yarden teased me about my veganism. A year of thinking about them day and night, talking about them instead of talking to them. Baby Kfir turned one year old as a hostage, and Ariel turned five years old. On October 10th, my brother celebrated his second birthday in captivity.
Kfir Bibas (left) and Ofri Bibas Levi (right) smile together under a tree.
There is no information at all about Ciri and the boys. There are signs that Yarden is still alive. And this gives me hope. Hope and fear.
I’m worried that Hamas prisoners are mistreating my family. They are starving, barely surviving, and fear they are trapped in a dark, airless tunnel with little food, water, sunlight, or air. I dread the day when I hear a knock on the door announcing their death.
We learned from the tunnel where Hamas brutally executed six hostages on August 31 that there were no showers or toilets, just a bucket and a few bottles to relieve themselves. Even prisoners in the most primitive prisons are treated in better conditions. And those are prisoners. We are talking about innocent civilians here. children. baby. A year-long prisoner.
So much happened last year. Kfir celebrated his first birthday, and Ariel turned five. This summer, the family planned to leave the Gaza Strip and move north to give their children a better life.
I gave birth this year. My baby is already 3 months old. I hope he gets to meet his cousins, aunts and uncles. alive.
It’s almost 365 days since my family was no longer just mine. I have seen how many of you have accepted and cared for my family as if they were your own. A year in which my family’s life became a poster and a photograph.
I haven’t seen or spoken to my family in a year. We didn’t celebrate holidays or birthdays together. I don’t even know what Kfir looks like today.
How was your year?
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It hurts to hear that there is a price to pay for your family’s lives. They are not cars or things that can be replaced. It hurts to know that so many interests – power, money, ego, politics – are taking precedence over the suffering of my family.
Children should never be taken hostage. Kfir and Ariel must be released immediately and unconditionally. Every day that Kfir and Ariel are held in Gaza, the sane free world sends a signal to terrorists around the world that they, too, can cross that thick red line.
The impact of the “new normal” is not limited to the Middle East. In the World Trade Center attacks, terrorists targeted adult civilians. Do we want terrorists to think they can target children with impunity?
We have been fighting for the release of the hostages for more than 365 days. We need reinforcements. Please help us. Share the stories of the hostages, spread the word about their plight, and let those with the authority to do something know that you are demanding their release. now.
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We need the international community and world leaders to put pressure on Hamas to accept a deal to release all hostages. Making a deal is the only way to get all the hostages back home, and the only way for me to be reunited with my beloved brother, his wife, and my two nephews.
Our family has chosen to believe in humanity. Kfir and Ariel’s grandparents were brutally murdered on October 7th. We don’t want to bury three generations. Please save the hostage’s life immediately. Every minute that passes could be their last.
