Yarden Bibas, whose family became one of the most recognizable symbols of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas kidnappings, marked what would have been his son’s third birthday this weekend with a deeply personal and anguished message.

In an Instagram post on Sunday, Yarden Bibas reflected on the life his son, Kfir Bibas, never had the chance to live.

“You never even celebrated your first birthday,” Bibas wrote. “So how can I mark your third birthday for you?”

Bibas recounted moments from Kfir’s brief life — tasting solid food, learning to crawl, and celebrating his older brother Ariel’s fourth birthday — memories now frozen in time.

Yarden Bibas, his wife Shiri Bibas hy”d, and their sons Ariel Bibas hy”d, 4, and Kfir hy”d, then just 9 months old, were abducted from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel. The images of Shiri clutching her two red-haired children became emblematic of the hostage crisis that followed.

Bibas survived captivity and was released on Feb. 1, 2025, after 484 days in Gaza as part of a prisoner exchange. Israeli authorities later determined that Shiri, Ariel and Kfir were murdered while being held by Hamas.

After more than 500 days, the bodies of Ariel and Kfir were returned to Israel on Feb. 20, 2025, under a ceasefire agreement. Shiri’s remains were returned two days later, after Israeli forensic officials said the body initially transferred by Hamas was not hers.

In his post, Bibas expressed guilt and sorrow, apologizing to his son “for bringing you into such a cruel world.”

“I hope you know how much I love you and how much I miss you,” he wrote. “I am sure that Mom, Ariel and Tony are celebrating for you in heaven.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)