Yarden, I think of you, in that gunshot moment when you learned that the body in the coffin was not your wife’s.
Did you allow a bright bullet of hope to pierce your darkness, even though you knew that it was aimed, with ruthless precision, at your thrice shattered heart?
Joanna Norland dedicates this story to the Bibas family — Yarden, Shiri, Ariel (age 4) and Kfir (9 months), all abducted from the Nir Oz Kibbutz on October 7, 2023, and held in Gaza. Only Yarden returned to Israel alive, February 1, 2025. Hamas claimed to return the bodies of Yarden’s wife, Shiri, and children on February 20, 2024, but DNA testing revealed that the woman’s body was not Shiri’s. Her fate remained unknown until her body was returned by Hamas on the evening of February 21, 2025, and identified by Israeli officials.
That is so sad. And maddening. I’m feeling all the feels.
thank you for sharing. xx
My heart breaks. 💖
very much so.
I hope Yarden gets to read this and know people all over the world care.
thank you. x
This went right to my heart. Beautifully and poignantly written!
thank you!
A gut punch that needs to be told. And you have done it so well. So glad it is out there for all to see. Sigh.
thank you!
“Gut punch,” is right, Bonnie. Yeesh.
Beautifully done, Joanna. Beautifully done.
It does help to pull one moment out of all those moments of agony, and to hold it up to the light – the light which is so dark.
thank you very much.
Jo, the world is now divided between those who glorify life and those who glorify death. We know what side we stand on. A wonderful tribute to a man who lost everything. The truth in 37 words.
thank you – I was deeply moved by the love Yarden expressed for his family. What he has lost is unfathomable . . . but holds fast to his soul.