The family of freed hostage Yarden Bibas has raised more than $1.7 million via a public fundraising campaign since its launch on Saturday night, exceeding its initial $1,371,086 goal within 24 hours.
The campaign, which was launched via the Lehosheet Yad (Lend a Hand) foundation, aims to help Yarden Bibas’s recovery and establish a memorial for his wife, Shiri, and two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, who were murdered in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
As of Monday morning, 30,979 people from all over the world had donated to the campaign.
The Bibas family were abducted from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz in the western Negev on Oct. 7, 2023, during the mass-scale Hamas-led assault against Israel.
Yarden was held in captivity for 484 days before his release on Feb. 1 as part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Bibas’s father, Eli, wrote on the Lehosheet Yad’s English-language campaign page that Yarden “needs professional support, mental health assistance, and financial resources to gradually regain a sense of normalcy.”
He further related that, “Only after his release did Yarden learn the devastating truth—his entire world had been murdered in captivity. He lost his family, his home, his belongings—he lost everything.”
The father went on to say that “now, we are here to help him rebuild from the ashes. Yarden’s recovery is a long, complex, and painful journey. Beyond the unbearable grief, he must rebuild his life from nothing physically, emotionally, and financially. He has no home, no stability—and each day brings new, unexpected challenges.”
Speaking to Hebrew-language Ynet News, Yarden’s sister Ofri Bibas-Levy said, “I’m astounded and moved by the number of people in Israel and abroad who mobilized and contributed to the campaign. We reached the goal we set within just 24 hours. Now, we continue on Yarden’s long journey of rehabilitation and our mission to commemorate Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir.”
She emphasized that “Yarden isn’t asking anything for himself, we are asking for him.”
On the fundraising page, Eli Bibas wrote that Yarden one day “hopes to fulfill his dream to establish a memorial for Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir.
“Despite everything he has endured,” he continued, “Yarden still has faith. He believes in his ability to start over, to rise from the devastation and build a new life. And I, his father, watch him every day in awe—at his strength, his determination, and his resilience after facing the unimaginable loss.”
Ofri related that the memorial could be connected to children’s education, as Shiri was a teacher at heart, according to Ynet.
“The state is providing financial assistance, mainly through grants, but we understand that moving forward, he will probably need more. We want to allow Yarden to choose his own path, to go the right way for him, and not have to make decisions based on financial constraints,” she added.
Fifty-nine hostages remain in Gaza, of whom 24 are believed to still be alive, according to Israeli estimates.
