January 18, 2024 marks the first birthday of Kfir Bibas, the youngest hostage taken captive by Hamas.
It has been more than 100 days since Kfir and 240 others were abducted by Hamas on October 7 and have remained captive in Gaza.
About half of the hostages were freed in November under a ceasefire agreement, but that still left many others, including Kfir and his family, in captivity.
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Kfir Bibas was one of 240 hostages taken by Hamas. He was about 10 months old when he was taken, making him the youngest of the hostages. (Bethany Mandel)
Kfir was almost 10 months old when he was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz and taken captive by Hamas in Gaza. They also took his brother Ariel, 4 years old, his mother Shiri and his father Yarden.
Hamas has said that the younger brothers and Shiri were killed and that Yarden was the only survivor. A video was released showing Yarden reacting to the news of his family's death. Israel has not confirmed the deaths of Kfir, Shiri and Ariel, leaving hope for family members.
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To mark Kfir's first birthday, the freed hostages and the families of those still captive gathered for a ceremony on Tuesday.
A birthday cake and balloons for Kfir Bibas were placed in a Nir Oz kindergarten classroom. Kfir will be 1 year old on January 18 as a hostage held in Gaza. (Reuters/Tyrone Siu)
Gingerbread balloons, representative of Kfir's shiny hair, and a birthday cake themed around a teddy bear and its photo were left at Nir Oz's now abandoned kindergarten.
“We are celebrating the birthday of a child who is not here. We make him a cake, we put balloons, photos, blessings and everything. And he is not here,” Shiri's cousin, Yosi Shnaider, told Reuters. “He's crazy.”
An additional ceremony will be held on Thursday, where supporters and the hostages' families will gather in “Hostage Square” in Tel Aviv, according to The Times of Israel. The poster for the ceremony labels it “the saddest birthday in the world.”
Kfir Bibas has spent almost a third of his life in captivity since he was captured on October 7, 2023. (Bethany Mandel)
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With more than 100 days in captivity, Kfir has spent nearly a third of his life in Hamas captivity.
