Synopsis
The story of the Bibas family highlights the brutal actions of Hamas, revealing their inhumanity and disregard for human life. Their reign of terror underscores the urgent need for the international community to acknowledge and act against Hamas to pave the way for peace.Key Takeaways
- Hamas exploits families for propaganda.
- Brutal acts against civilians are routine.
- Hostages face unimaginable horrors.
- The organization's infrastructure is built on terror.
- International support for Hamas prolongs suffering.
The haunting visuals linger: a young mother, Shiri Bibas, torn from her everyday existence, holding her two small red-haired children, four-year-old Ariel and nine-month-old Kfir, their expressions marked by fear as they are taken to Gaza.
This moment, captured by the terrorists during their assault on Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, reflects the extreme brutality and inhumanity of Hamas’s actions.
That tragic morning saw the terrorists from Gaza commit heinous acts, including murder and violence, tearing apart numerous families. It starkly illustrates that Hamas is not a legitimate political entity, but rather a profoundly brutal organization focused solely on inflicting suffering and chaos.
For more than 16 months, the world has been horrified as Hamas exploited the Bibas family for propaganda purposes, using psychological warfare. Yarden was coerced into appearing in a video under the false pretense that his family had been killed – a cruel manipulation that highlights Hamas's sadistic treatment of captives.
With Yarden's recent liberation, the full extent of the horror has been revealed.
His freedom came at an unbearable cost: his children were murdered by their captors, and his wife remains unaccounted for.
After subjecting them to unimaginable conditions filled with fear and deprivation, the terrorists in Gaza took the lives of the two little boys in November 2023. A baby and a four-year-old child. Their remains were returned to Israel on Thursday. In a despicable act, Hamas replaced Shiri's body with that of an unidentified woman, leaving her fate uncertain.
The tragedy of the Bibas family transcends personal loss; it serves as a poignant reminder of Hamas's true character. These are not freedom fighters or resistors – they are predators who intentionally target civilians, murder children, and inflict profound suffering and psychological torture on their victims. Freed hostages recount unimaginable atrocities—beatings, starvation, sexual violence, and the persistent dread of execution.
Hamas does not conduct warfare like a conventional military; it engages in war crimes systematically. These actions are not those of humane beings; they reflect a depraved ideology that venerates violence and revels in suffering.
The murders of Ariel and Kfir, the dread surrounding Shiri's fate, the torture inflicted on Yarden, and the ongoing captivity of other hostages are not anomalies in Hamas's conduct; they represent its core.
This is an organization that constructs terror tunnels rather than schools, utilizes hospitals as military bases, and diverts humanitarian assistance to fuel its military agenda. Their rule has only brought despair to Gaza while enriching their leadership.
Those who persist in supporting or justifying Hamas must confront these realities. Each justification, every attempt to explain their actions, and every excuse that follows condemnation of their atrocities only perpetuates more suffering. Hamas has repeatedly demonstrated its lack of interest in peace, disregard for human life—both Palestinian and Israeli—and no vision beyond relentless conflict and destruction.
Despite this undeniable truth, Hamas still finds defenders in the West—activists and politicians who, out of ignorance or malice, reinforce its atrocities by rationalizing its violence. Every rally that glorifies Hamas and every voice that minimizes its crimes only prolongs the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians. To defend Hamas is to endorse barbarism. Supporting Hamas undermines any hope for regional peace.
The global community must unite in acknowledging that genuine peace, stability, and a future for both Israelis and Palestinians cannot exist while Hamas continues its reign over Gaza. Their eradication is not merely an Israeli security concern; it is a moral obligation for anyone who values human dignity and the prospect of peace in the region.
The Bibas family's ordeal should act as a clarion call. The Bibas family and all the victims of Hamas's terror deserve justice. The reign of terror by Hamas must cease—not only for Israeli security, not only for Gaza's future, but for the very possibility of a future where children like Ariel and Kfir can grow up free from the fear of being separated from their parents.
There can be no peace while Hamas remains in power. If the international community genuinely seeks justice and cares about innocent lives, it must take a firm stance: Hamas must be dismantled, its terror eliminated, and its control over Gaza severed. The journey to peace in the region begins with the downfall of Hamas.
(Guy Nir is the Spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in India. These views are personal).
