My grandson turns five in Hamas captivity

On that horrific Saturday, 7 October, I was supposed to visit my son, Yarden, and his family in Kibbutz Nir Oz. At 06:30, sirens blared. I called Yarden, who assured me they were in the shelter. We thought it was just another round of rocket attacks from Gaza. But at 09:20, I received a text message from Yarden with three words that still haunt me: “I love you.”

Then, silence.

My young grandchildren, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, along with Yarden and my daughter-in-law, Shiri, have been held captive by Hamas for more than 300 days. Every day, I feel their absence. Every day, it crushes me, but every day, I make the decision to continue to fight to bring them home.

The horror of what unfolded was gleefully distributed by Hamas through images and videos. The entire world has surely by now seen my beautiful daughter-in-law, Shiri, clutching the world’s most famous redheaded children, fear etched across their faces as they are dragged into captivity. Yarden, violently kidnapped into Gaza on a motorcycle, has been shown bloodied and surrounded by terrorists and civilians. In the months since their abduction, we’ve all been victims of the cruel psychological warfare waged by Hamas. They forced my son to appear in a video, telling him his children were dead to break his spirit. But we can’t help but cling to hope, even as each passing day makes it that much harder.

Ariel should be celebrating his fifth birthday this week. He probably would have loved to get another Batman toy or another tractor to play with in the yard. Instead, he marks this milestone in the darkness of captivity. His little brother, baby Kfir, barely nine months old when he was taken, has now spent more of his young life in Hamas captivity than in the loving arms of his family.

Last August, for Ariel’s fourth birthday, the entire family gathered at Kibbutz Nir Oz. It was a beautiful family event – aunts, uncles, and grandparents all came together. Like every family birthday, Shiri, with her loving attention to detail, prepared themed decorations, a cake, and delicious food, while Yarden took care of the music. It was joyful, it was loving, it was filled with laughter and warmth.

It was the last birthday we all celebrated together. Shiri’s parents, Yossi and Margit, were brutally murdered on 7 October. We know we can never recreate those exact moments, but we continue to hold onto hope. We’re waiting for the release of my Yarden, Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir. When that day comes, we dream of celebrating together once more, even if some familiar faces will be painfully absent.

For more than 300 days, we’ve met everyone we could, across the world. We’ve spoken, pleaded, shaken hands, and pressed for action. We made sure every time people around the world saw us, they remembered those two small, ginger-haired boys – the last children still in Hamas captivity.

And now, finally, there’s a deal on the table. This deal is the only way to bring all the hostages home – some, tragically, for proper burial rather than joyful reunion. We need a deal urgently. We have no time to waste. Every week, every day, and every minute in captivity is a danger to the lives of my grandchildren, my son, my daughter-in-law, and all the other 111 hostages. How long can a baby and a toddler survive captivity hell?

I will never stop hoping that one day, I will see my family again, embrace them, kiss them, and witness their innocent smiles once more. But hope alone isn’t enough. We need action, and we need it now. Anyone who hears this: please, help me bring my family home.

Eli Bibas is the father of Yarden Bibas; father-in-law of Shiri Bibas; and grandfather to Ariel and Kfir Bibas.