After authorities in Israel confirmed Kfir, Ariel and Shiri Bibas were murdered in captivity in Gaza, Boaz Shabo felt compelled to reach out to Yarden Bibas with words of support.
Shabo, who experienced a similar tragedy, lost his wife Rachel and three of their children —Neriya, Tzvika and Avishai — when a Palestinian terrorist infiltrated their home in Itamar in 2002.
Two other children, Aviya and Asael, were wounded. Asael later became a Paralympic wheelchair basketball player and was chosen to light a torch at the traditional Independence Day state ceremony in 2022.
Speaking to Ynet, Shabo recalled his own experience. "The night of the attack, I thought that I had no reason to live if I had no one left. But the will to live is stronger and you discover that in these moments," he said.
When asked if the Bibas family's fate brought him back to his own tragedy, he said, "Absolutely. From the moment they were kidnapped, my whole family talked about them. My children kept saying they hoped they'd survive, even though we knew who we were dealing with — our enemies are cruel Nazis.
"It brought me back to how they murdered my youngest, Avishai, who was five at the time. I kept thinking about the father, how he’d cope, especially after learning they were murdered. It’s very hard. I hope to meet him at some point, to support him, help him and tell him how to deal with this — because it’s tough."
When asked what he would say to Yarden Bibas, Shabo answered, "First, to be strong for his wife and children who are now in heaven. To think about what his wife would have wanted, to stay strong and not fall apart. It’s incredibly hard and it’s easy to break. But I’d tell him: life goes on, despite the pain and your victory will be in moving forward.
"That’s the motto I’ve lived by for 22 years. My children, too — despite the constant reminders, despite the immense pain of the past year, especially after October 7. After the massacre, I helped many wounded and saw the number of dead. It brought me right back to what happened. I can’t say I’ve recovered but it pushed me to help others even more," he added.
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Shabo said he wasn’t surprised by the murder of the Bibas children. "I wasn’t surprised then and we shouldn’t be surprised now. This has been going on for 22 years — murdering families, killing small children, babies. It’s horrific, and I don’t think there’s anything that will change their mindset.
"They live by this; they’re taught this. They believe that they’ll go to paradise for every Jew they kill. On October 7, we heard one of the terrorists call his mother and tell her, 'I killed ten Jews,' and she was elated, telling him to continue. It’s insane."
When asked about rebuilding his own life, Shabo shared that he remarried five years after the attack. "I married Hila, a childhood friend who had five children and we adopted another one. We became a big family of ten kids.
"My daughter from my first wife, Aviya, who was seriously wounded, married Hila’s son, David. Hila and I also had children together — a naturally conceived triplet."
Now a grandfather, Shabo said that moving forward is the ultimate triumph. "That’s our victory, that’s happiness. I want to show Yarden that this is how we win. They tried to wipe out the Bibas family, but they won’t succeed. They tried to destroy other families, but they won’t. It’s incredibly difficult, but carrying on, lifting your head — that helps."
During the war, Shabo visited bereaved families, including those who lost children at the Nova music festival massacre. He supported a coworker whose son was murdered on October 7 and hopes to eventually reach out to Yarden Bibas — once he begins to process his loss.