Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called on Friday for 14 landmarks across the state, including Empire State Plaza, Niagara Falls and Penn Station, to be lit in orange to honor the memories of Ariel and Kfir Bibas, Jewish children Hamas murdered in captivity in Gaza and whose bodies were returned to Israel.
“Our hearts are broken as we mourn Ariel and Kfir Bibas, who were brutally murdered by Hamas in an act of callous and unthinkable cruelty,” Hochul stated. “I join the millions around the world honoring their memory and demanding that Hamas immediately return the remains of Shiri Bibas home to Israel.”
On Friday night, One World Trade Center, Albany International Airport, the Alfred E. Smith State Office Building, Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal, Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, Kosciuszko Bridge, Moynihan Train Hall, the State Education Building, the State Fairgrounds, the H. Carl McCall SUNY Building and the “Franklin D. Roosevelt” Mid-Hudson Bridge were also illuminated in orange.
As six more hostages return home today, we mourn Ariel and Kfir Bibas, two young boys who were brutally murdered by Hamas.⁰⁰Landmarks across New York were lit orange last night in their memory. pic.twitter.com/Lx7XCHuTsu
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) February 22, 2025
