In This, I Am Yarden Bibas
If the cold-blooded murder of an infant, a four-year-old child, and their mother fails to provoke universal condemnation, then what does?
Editor’s note: This op-ed was submitted prior to the IDF learning that Shiri Bibas’ body was not returned.
The tragic fate of the Bibas family stands as a harrowing testament to the barbarism unleashed upon Israel on October 7, 2023. Yarden Bibas, 34, his wife Shiri, 32, and their two young children—Ariel, 4, and Kfir, just 9 months old—were abducted from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz by Gazan civilians—not Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad—and violently dragged into the depths of Gaza’s depravity. Their unimaginable suffering, and the brutal way the bodies of a loving mother and her two innocent boys were returned to Israel 502 days later, exposes not only the degeneracy of Hamas but also the moral collapse of those who refuse to acknowledge it.
The images of the Bibas family have been burned into the global conscience. Red-haired baby Kfir, cradled in the arms of his terrified mother, became a heartbreaking symbol of innocence shattered by cruelty. Their abduction was not just an attack on one family—it was an assault on humanity itself. And yet, in parts of the world, there was no universal outrage. Instead, there were celebrations in the streets of Gaza, university protests in the West portraying Hamas as the victim, and a deafening silence from international institutions that claim to uphold human rights.
The fate of the Bibas family is not just a tragedy—it is a moral litmus test for the world. If the cold-blooded murder of an infant, a four-year-old child, and their mother fails to provoke universal condemnation, then what does?
The Depravity of Hamas’ Actions
The story of the Bibas family did not end with their abduction. For months, their fate remained uncertain, their names whispered in desperate prayers. Then, on February 20, 2025, Hamas staged a grotesque spectacle, parading their coffins through Khan Younis before handing them over to the Red Cross. The coffins were locked, bearing the names and images of Shiri and her children, a final insult to their dignity.
This act was not an outlier—it was the culmination of decades of radicalization in Gaza. The international community, through institutions like UNRWA, has funded an education system that indoctrinates children with violent Jew-hatred from infancy. In such a society, there is no moral reckoning when a baby is murdered, only a twisted sense of victory.
A Personal Reckoning
For those of us who have spent time in Israel, who have walked its streets and lived among its people, the fate of the Bibas family feels deeply personal. I find it impossible to witness such horror and remain a bystander.
I have served my country—Australia—for 30 years as a soldier in the Australian Army, dedicating my life to understanding and countering threats. In doing so, I have encountered evil before, but rarely has it been so openly embraced by those who should be held accountable. The lack of outrage from Western leaders, the equivocation from international bodies, and the media’s willingness to entertain Hamas’ propaganda all reveal a dangerous reality: we are losing our moral compass.
The Path Forward
The murder of the Bibas family should be a watershed moment, forcing the world to confront the true nature of Hamas and the radicalized culture it has fostered in Gaza. But outrage is not enough.
The West must cease its funding of institutions that perpetuate extremism. Governments must take a hard stance against those who glorify terrorism within their own borders. And most importantly, we must never allow ourselves to become desensitized to this horror. The moment we rationalize such evil, we open the door for it to spread.
The Bibas family was targeted because they were Israeli and because they were Jewish. Their deaths were celebrated because their killers had been raised to believe that such atrocities are justified. If we fail to acknowledge the ideological war being waged against civilization itself, we will soon find ourselves the next targets.
I grieve for Yarden Bibas, for Shiri, for Ariel, and for baby Kfir. And in this, I am Yarden Bibas.
Michael Scott CSC is the CEO and Founder of the 2023 Foundation, a charity focused on combating antisemitism and fostering peaceful coexistence. He is not Jewish.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the positions of the Australian Defence Force or the Commonwealth Government of Australia.
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