Israeli forces held a Chanukah candle-lighting ceremony in Rafah, the southern Gaza Strip, on Sunday, led by Golani Brigade commander Col. Adi Ganon and Sgt. (res.) Dana Silverman Seton, the sister of murdered Hamas hostage Shiri Bibas.
The menorah lit for the eighth and final night of the festival belonged to the home of Bibas and Seton’s parents and was partially burned during the terrorist attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“We are standing now before this burned menorah, a menorah that is among the few items that survived the fire in my parents’ home—so that all those who hate us will see it and know that this light cannot be extinguished,” Seton said.
“At one of the formations I conducted before entering a mission, I got into a tank whose sight had the familiar image of Shiri Bibas,” said Ganon. “The troops told me that in difficult moments, this is what reminds them why they are here. I say this with emotion and with great responsibility as a commander in the IDF: If there is one thing we all need to remember, it is the well-known image of Shiri embracing her children. Being together and embracing one another—that is our strength.”
Bibas, a 32-year-old from Nir Oz, was kidnapped to Gaza with her infant and toddler sons on Oct. 7 and later killed while held hostage, with her remains returned to Israel in February 2025.
Seton is serving in reserve duty in the IDF’s 143rd “Gaza” Division.
