The uncle of the Bibas family – whose picture of mother Shiri clutching her two red-headed sons went viral as a defining image from the October 7 atrocity – has cried in public “for the first time” since October 7.
During the “most emotional” public panel he had been a part of since the terror attack against Israel almost 300 days ago, Yarden Bibas’ uncle, Yair Keshet, broke down in tears in front of an audience at JW3 when describing how Hamas “took two flowers from us”.
The images of Kfir Bibas, who was kidnapped at nine months old and who spent his first birthday held hostage, captured the hearts of millions around the world. He was abducted by Hamas terrorists, along with his mother Shiri, 32, brother Ariel, four, and father Yarden, 34.
Hamas has given the family “absolutely nothing” in terms of answers. “We know nothing,” Yair said. “Sometimes there is a picture or some other thing the IDF finds, and maybe it can give us a brief sign of life. But even that we cannot trust because what is true yesterday might not be true today. We are so tired of [grasping] at hope.”
He said that hearing this week the IDF confirm the deaths of two more hostages, Alex Dancyg, 75, and Yagev Buchshtav, 35, had “made us get lower and lower and lower, until we feel there is no hope.
“But we need hope, we need a sign of life. It is very difficult to have hope. That is why we come here to these places to meet as many people as we can. Do not think you can’t do anything; you can. Everybody is connected to someone else, so raise your voice, support Israel, support the families, put pressure on anybody who needs it. We need your help.”
Yair Keshet, uncle of Kfir and Ariel Bibas, during a Q&A at JW3, July 23, 2024
He added, through tears, that it was on October 7 that “they (Hamas) took two flowers from us”, referring to Kfir and his four-year-old brother, Ariel.
He apologised to the audience for shedding tears, explaining: “This session is the most emotional we’ve had. Everybody [on stage] is crying, so thank you very much to you all for coming and for listening.”
He said it had been “very important for us to see the love and hugs from you, from the diaspora, from the world. Our family needs it.”
Ella Haimi, who was just a few weeks’ pregnant when Hamas launched its latest genocidal campaign on the Jewish State, gave birth in May. She also joined the panel on Tuesday, during some of which she held her newborn.
She said her family’s daily routine in the days prior to October 7 was much as it was for all other families in the region, with missile warning sirens blaring regularly as Hamas launched the latest barrage at population centres inside Israel.
Ella Haimi, wife of Tal Haimi, with her newborn son at JW3, July 23, 2024
It was something they “never got used to but could live with”, she said, until October 7, when terrorists unleashed the worst terrorist attack in Israel’s history.
For at least two months after her husband, Tal, a member of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak emergency alert squad, went missing, Ella was “sure” he was still alive. “I felt it, I was really sure he was still with us,” she said, before learning from the IDF of his death while protecting the kibbutz from Hamas on October 7.
The relatives of hostages Guy Gilboa Dalal, the Bibas family, Tamir Nimrodi, and Tal Haimi, speaking to UK Jewry and allies as part of a panel at JW3, July 23, 2024
She said she felt “alone” when she gave birth to her new son in May, despite being surrounded by her parents and hospital staff. “I brought a baby [in] to the world, and this baby will never meet his father, and the father will never meet his son. And yet, he brings a lot of happiness to the world. When he’s not crying, he’s smiling,” she said.
In addition to raising now four children without a father, Ella continues to advocate for the liberation of the hostages and the return of Tal’s body, saying: “I need to bury Tal in Israel because it is the honour he deserves. I don’t know that Hamas even knows where they put his body. My worst fear, the worst thing, would be if he were to never return.”
Ella Haimi, wife of Tal Haimi, speaks to UK Jewry at JW3, July 23, 2024
She thanked attendees for joining the Q&A panel and said: “Seeing your eyes and faces, feeling your support, to know we are not alone, it truly helps so much.”
Relatives of hostages Tamir Nimrodi and Guy Gilboa Dalal were also present and spoke as part of the JW3 panel.
The Israeli delegation is in London for several days meeting with Jewish community leaders and political figures to advocate for the safe return of the approximately 115 hostages remaining in Gaza.
The relatives of hostages Guy Gilboa Dalal, the Bibas family, Tamir Nimrodi, and Tal Haimi, speaking to UK Jewry and allies as part of a panel at JW3, July 23, 2024
Lord Stuart Polak, honorary president of the Conservatives Friends of Israel (CFI), thanked the relatives of the hostages for coming to London, saying their bravery was “beyond words”.
“We came here to inspire and help you, but no doubt you have inspired us,” he said. Addressing the room, he added: “As a community, we turn up to events like this, but it’s not enough. Everybody has a platform, however small, that you can use to advocate for this cause.”
