'The days only get harder': Father remembers son Ariel on his seventh birthday

Yarden Bibas, father of Ariel Bibas, marked his son's seventh birthday with a deeply emotional public message, remembering the child who was abducted by Hamas and murdered in captivity. Ariel, who would have turned seven on Wednesday, was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, along with his mother, Shiri, and younger brother, Kfir.

The Bibas family, with their distinctive red hair, became prominent symbols of the hostage crisis. Their father, Yarden, was abducted separately and later released in February 2025, making him the only surviving member of his immediate family. The color orange was adopted globally in solidarity with their plight.

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Chuki, I can't lift you up in your birthday chair, and I also don't get to see you excitedly open all the presents you would have received.

In his message, Yarden described the passage of time as offering no solace, stating, "Time isn't doing its thing, and the days aren't becoming any easier. The longing grows stronger day by day, and the feelings of loneliness and absence only intensify." He reflected on the emptiness of everyday life without his wife and children, noting that "everything enjoyable feels empty and hollow."

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Time isn't doing its thing, and the days aren't becoming any easier. The longing grows stronger day by day, and the feelings of loneliness and absence only intensify.

Remembering past birthday celebrations, Yarden wrote, "Chuki, I can't lift you up in your birthday chair, and I also don't get to see you excitedly open all the presents you would have received." He concluded with a hopeful thought for his son, "But I hope that up in heaven they're lifting you up and celebrating your birthday! I'm sure Mom arranged the most beautiful birthday she could for you, just like we did for you at the kibbutz every year."

Memorial tributes from organizations like the American Jewish Committee also commemorated Ariel's birthday, honoring the young life tragically cut short.

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But I hope that up in heaven they're lifting you up and celebrating your birthday! I'm sure Mom arranged the most beautiful birthday she could for you, just like we did for you at the kibbutz every year.