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my dear President-elect Donald Trump,
My name is Ofri Bibas Levy. Although you may not know me personally, you have certainly heard of my brother Yarden Bypass, his wife Sheri, and Ariel and Kfir, their two red-haired children who have captured hearts around the world. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu I brought you a photo of young Ariel holding his drawing of Batman, with the words “I fly and save people stuck in a hole” – just as he and many others remain trapped today.
These children and their parents lived a normal family life — a busy routine for parents with two young children —Until they were taken from us More than a year ago. There is still hope: intelligence confirms that more than half of the 100 hostages are still in captivity aliveBut their time is quickly running out. My family members are among those we can still save, but only if we act now.
The Bybas family, from left: Yerden, Ariel, Sheri, and Kfir (Tax Free Offer)
On October 7, 2023, they were violently torn from their daily lives. Their father, Yarden, made the heartbreaking decision to separate from his family in a desperate attempt to protect them, but despite his efforts, his two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, were kidnapped along with their mother, Sherri. Footage of their abduction – showing terrified children clutching their mothers' arms – has become a haunting symbol of Hamas's brutality. Two months later, Hamas' brutality reached new depths when it released a psychological warfare video showing them torturing Yarden in captivity, cruelly telling him that his wife and children were dead, in an attempt to break his morale.
The world recently celebrated International Children's Rights Day, a celebration that was first started by Reverend Charles Leonard of the Universal Church in Chelsea, Massachusetts, 168 years ago. On this important day, the United Nations adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child – a powerful convention that places the well-being of children above all other considerations. This declaration commits us all to protecting children from torture, exploitation, abuse and neglect.
Kfir Bibas, left, and Ofri Bibas Levy, right, smile together under a tree.
Where is this commitment to these young children? Shy and cheerful little Ariel is forced to celebrate his fifth birthday in the Hamas tunnels, under the eyes of murderous terrorists, far from the family and friends who love him. For more than a year, we have been tormented because we do not know the conditions in which he and his baby brother, Kfir, are living. Kidnapped when he was just nine months old, Kfir has spent his first birthday in captivity and will soon celebrate his second birthday next January in the hands of terrorists – if we don't act fast enough. Time is of the essence. While we know that many hostages are still alive, their conditions are deteriorating with each passing day. These innocent men, women and children struggle to survive under horrific conditions, making every moment of delay not only painful, but unforgivable.
Kefir Pebas, nine months old. (Courtesy: Bring them home now)
I turn to you, Mr. Trump, in desperation and plea: Help us where we have all failed. Use your unique, uncompromising and creative style to bring back Kefir, Ariel, Sherry and Yarden to us. Returning all 100 hostages from Gaza is not only morally and ethically right, it is our humanitarian obligation.
After many months of suffering, talks about reaching an agreement have finally begun. We must seize this opportunity to secure the release of all hostages held by Hamas – men, women, the elderly and children – and reunite them with their families. Time is of the essence to move this deal forward, and the return of the hostages is a prerequisite for achieving stability in the Middle East. There will be no peace until we bring them home: the living – who make up more than half of those captured – for rehabilitation, and the dead for a proper burial.
We appreciate the efforts of the US administration and others over the past year, and we ask you, President-elect Trump, to lend us your voice and your hand so that Kfir and Ariel can celebrate their next birthday at home with us and their friends. . This is their right and our duty. Many precious lives can still be saved.
