On Monday, hundreds of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv to release orange balloons into the sky in honor of Ariel Bibas, who turned five years old while being held captive by militants in the Gaza Strip. Ariel, along with his 1-year-old brother Kfir, has become a symbol of the ongoing struggle to secure the release of hostages.
The orange balloons were chosen to represent the bright red hair of Ariel and Kfir. The Bibas boys are among the 110 hostages still held by Hamas since the Oct. 7 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people. The family of the boys expressed disbelief at celebrating Ariel's birthday while he remains in captivity, 304 days after the kidnapping.
