Ahead of Israeli Independence Day, Yarden Bibas, whose wife and two sons were murdered in Hamas captivity, shares with the Israeli public what independence means to him in a special art display and on social media.
By Rachel Avraham
Ahead of Israel’s Independence Day, former hostage Yarden Bibas, who lost his wife and two sons, who were murdered in Hamas captivity, published a personal, chilling message on Instagram, Arutz Sheva reported.
Bibas wrote, “On Independence Day 76, I was in a tunnel. On Independence Day 77, there is still war and there are still hostages in captivity, only this time I am at home. I returned to an empty home, and after everything I went through—and am still going through—I still call this country home and choose life every single day.” He also published a picture with a sign reading, “I have no independence because they are still there” along with a call to share the phrase online.
According to Arutz Sheva, he added, “This year I cannot celebrate my independence because I have brothers who are still in captivity, and my heart is still there with them. I will not be able to recover and will not rest until they return. Please let the phrase from our anthem ‘to be a free nation in our land’ be true for everyone.”
Also ahead of Independence Day, Bibas and a number of other hostages participated in a chilling art display, which presently exists at Ben-Gurion International Airport. “With this painting, I am taking you with me back to Gaza, to the darkest place on earth,” Yarden Bibas said of his work that is exhibited at the Ben Gurion International Airport along with other artwork from hostages who were released from Hamas captivity, Yedioth Achronot reported.
As part of the project, Hamas captivity survivors participated in unique workshops where they expressed their feelings and experiences during their time in Hamas captivity, Arutz Sheva noted. According to the report, during these workshops, held ahead of Israel’s Independence Day, the survivors expressed the personal meaning they attribute to the concept of “independence.”
Alongside Bibas, the exhibition displays artwork by Hamas captivity survivors Raz Ben Ami, Meirav Tal, Ilana Gritzewsky, Karina Ariev, Naama Levy, Liri Albag, Keren Munder, Ohad Munder Zichri, Margalit Moses, and Aviva Siegel, Arutz Sheva reported. After thousands of travelers view the display this week, it will also be displayed in New York City.
Hamas captivity survivor Raz Ben Ami, who participated in the project and whose painting is featured in the exhibition, told Arutz Sheva, “In a few days, we will commemorate Memorial Day and Independence Day, and this year, more than ever, we feel the profound absence of our 59 brothers and sisters. This absence reminds us how incomplete our independence is without them, and how urgently they need to be here with us. I returned after 54 days, and after too many months, Ohad also returned to us, so fortunately we are a complete family, but we cannot move forward until all the hostages are here.”
According to Arutz Sheva, Levi Ben Baruch, uncle of Edan Alexander, spoke in the exhibition launch: “The paintings displayed here are just the beginning—they show that healing is possible. But for all of us to achieve true rehabilitation, we have only one shared national mission! To bring everyone back! To return the living to life, and the deceased to dignified burial.”
Photo from IDF Spokesperson’s Unit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnapping_and_killing_of_the_Bibas_family#/media/File:Release_of_Yarden_Bibas,_Ofer_Kalderon_and_Keith_Siegel,_February_1,_2025,_February_2025._XXXII..jpg
