The forgotten innocents: The horror of the Bibas family’s ordeal
In the shadow of October 7, a day that will forever stain history, the story of Shiri Silberman Bibas, her husband Yarden, and their two young sons, Kfir and Ariel, rises as a searing indictment of evil. It is a tale that should chill the blood and shatter any pretence of moral equivocation, for it lays bare the horrifying depths to which humanity can sink. And yet, to the disgrace of our times, there are still those who seek ‘context’ for crimes that defy comprehension.
Shiri, a devoted mother, and Yarden, a loving father, were living the simple, beautiful life of a young family on Kibbutz Nir Oz. On October 7, that life was torn apart. Shiri and her boys, Kfir, a baby of just nine months, and Ariel, a spirited four-year-old, were abducted in a torrent of violence unleashed by Hamas – a group that revels in the grotesque theatre of terror. Yarden, separated from his family, now endures an agony that no words can encapsulate, left to wonder if his wife and sons are alive or if the unthinkable has already come to pass.
The world should recoil in horror at the image of innocent children torn from their home, yet the reaction has been tragically muted. The Bibas family’s heartbreak deepened when their names were omitted from the list of hostages released under a ceasefire agreement. Instead, Hamas cynically chose to release soldiers rather than honour the agreement to prioritise civilians. It was a deliberate act of cruelty, designed to twist the knife in the hearts of families waiting desperately for a glimmer of hope.
What is perhaps most disturbing, however, is not only the barbarity of Hamas but the willingness of some to rationalise or justify their atrocities. This is not a moment for moral ambiguity or equivocation. Hamas is not a resistance movement – it is a terror organisation that thrives on the suffering of innocents, using human shields and targeting civilians with unrelenting savagery. To suggest otherwise, to frame their actions as part of a ‘noble cause,’ is to insult the memory of their victims and betray the living who endure their terror.
The plight of the Bibas family is a stark reminder of what Hamas represents: a force that kidnaps babies, murders civilians, and desecrates the very notion of humanity. There is no ‘context’ that can excuse the abduction of a mother and her two young children or the anguish of a father left behind. To search for justification in these crimes is to turn away from truth and morality.
Shiri, with her boundless love, would have given anything to shield her boys from harm. Yarden, separated from his family, stands as a testament to the resilience of love and hope in the face of unspeakable darkness. Together, their story should ignite outrage, not silence; action, not apathy. It should compel the world to demand not only the immediate release of all hostages but also an unequivocal denouncement of the ideology that enables such horrors.
To the Bibas family, and to all those waiting in torment for the return of their loved ones, we say this: Your pain is seen, your anguish felt. The world owes you more than thoughts and prayers; it owes you justice. The names of Shiri, Kfir, Ariel, and Yarden must not fade into the background of geopolitical discourse. They must remain a rallying cry for the defence of innocence against barbarity.
This is not a time for hollow rhetoric or equivocation. It is a time to stand firm against the tide of terror, to expose the true nature of those who commit such crimes, and to remind the world that there is no moral high ground in silence. For in the story of the Bibas family, we see the very essence of what is at stake: our shared humanity, and the imperative to protect it at all costs.