Jewish community members and allies came together at Sunny Hill Park in Hendon and Palmeira Square in Hove on Monday to mark the 5th birthday of hostage Ariel Bibas, who has now been in Hamas captivity with his one-year-old brother Kfir and parents Yarden and Shiri for nearly ten months.

Children and adults alike participated in the events, which were both a celebration of Ariel’s birthday and a solemn reminder of the Bibas family’s ongoing captivity.

At the event in Hendon, organised by The Hostages & Missing Familiies Forum UK and Stop the Hate UK, Israeli street artist Benzi Brofman created a live portrait of Ariel with a birthday cake and the number five, while children indulged in Batman-themed activities and cupcakes in honour of Ariel’s favourite superhero. Amid the orange balloons, face painting and arts and crafts, attendees carried ‘Bring Them Home Now’ and ‘Free Bibas’ signs, keeping the plight of the young family front and foremost.

Hendon community members celebrate Ariel Bibas' fifth birthday with Batman-themed cupcakes in honour of his favourite superhero. The Bibas family have been in Hamas captivity for nearly ten months. (Photo: Elliott Franks)

Reverend Hayley Ace, speaking on behalf of Stop the Hate UK, emphasised the urgency of remembering Ariel and his family: "It is unthinkable that the world is remaining almost entirely silent on the brutal kidnapping of an entire family," she said. "We will not allow Ariel and his family to be forgotten. We invite all compassionate individuals to join us in calling for their return and raising awareness of their plight."

Israeli artist Benzi Brofman marks Ariel Bibas' fifth birthday with a portrait created live during the celebration at Sunny Hill Park on 5 August, 2024. (Photo: Elliott Franks)

Chaya Langerman, a volunteer with Stop the Hate UK, said of the occasion: "Today, we marked the 5th birthday of Ariel Bibas, who remains a captive of Hamas. Nine months have passed, and the world seems to be forgetting about Ariel. But how can we accept a reality where a child is denied the simple joy of celebrating his birthday in freedom? We must act now—no more waiting, no more silence. Ariel and his family deserve to come home. If Ariel could make a birthday wish, it would be for his freedom. This is the wish the world needs to hear and act upon now."

The fifty attendees at the event in Hove heard Adam Ma’anit, whose cousin Tsachi Idan is a hostage in Gaza, read aloud a moving letter from Ariel’s grandmother to her missing grandson. Ma’anit’s wife and event organiser Heidi Bachram, who decorated a birthday table with a Batman mask and cake for Ariel, said: “I wish Batman was real. I wish he would swoop in and save Ariel and his family. But Batman isn’t real. So we must be the heroes that Ariel needs.”

The Bibas family were kidnapped on October 7 from Kibbutz Nir Oz, and while Hamas has claimed that the children are no longer alive, the IDF has not found any evidence to support this.