The Oct. 7 attacks of 2023 caused many fatal incidents for Jewish people. Though 1,200 were killed and 251 were taken hostage, one family particularly stayed on people’s minds.
Palestinian militants of Hamas kidnapped the Bibas family. The family consisted of Yarden and his wife, Shiri, as well as their two sons, Kfir, 9 months, and Ariel, 4. They were all taken from their home in Nir Oz and held hostage in the Gaza Strip. Yarden was released as a live hostage in January, but it was revealed on Feb. 20 that the rest of the family had been killed. The remains of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir were returned to Israel.
Kfir, who was 9 months old when taken, was the youngest of the hostages. His specific case upset many. People put up thousands of posters with the family’s picture on them, as well as held protests dedicated to them. When news of their deaths spread, people around the world mourned the loss. According to NBC News, “Thousands of people lined the streets of Israel to pay their respects to Shiri Bibas and her two young sons as their funeral procession made its way to a cemetery in the south of Israel.”
However, some pro-Palestinian supporters’ feelings are the opposite. A nongovernmental organization in South Africa called “Gift of the Givers,” an alleged Hamas funder, shared a short video justifying the deaths and explaining why Israel is to blame, according to Algemeiner. This does not come as a surprise to most, considering South Africa has been known for being very anti-Israel for many years.
These types of opinions are also emerging from the West. A memorial was put up at the University of Michigan in honor of the Bibas family, which was later vandalized by a pro-Hamas student. Overall, some seem to show less empathy than others for the family.
Since Feb. 20, people continue to mourn the loss of the Bibas family, honoring the lives of Shiri, Yarden, Ariel, and Kfir.