Former Gaza hostage Yarden Bibas has urged Israelis to mark this week’s Independence Day by highlighting the plight of the 59 captives still held in Gaza, saying, “I cannot celebrate my independence because they are still there.”
In a social media campaign launched Monday, Bibas called on the public to change their profile pictures to include the sentence “I have no independence because they are still there” in solidarity with the remaining hostages.
“On Israel’s 76th Independence Day, I was in a tunnel and didn’t think that in Israel, we would be celebrating Independence Day during a war and while there were hostages in captivity,” Bibas wrote on Facebook and Instagram. “On the 77th Independence Day, there is still war, and there are still hostages, only this time I am home.”
He continued, “This year, I cannot celebrate my independence because I have brothers and sisters who are still being held hostage, and my heart is still there with them. I will not be able to heal or rest until they return.”
“Join me: Add the caption ‘I have no independence because they are still there’ to your profile picture and share it on social media,” Bibas urged, posting a photo of himself holding a sign with the words in Hebrew.
The call was quickly echoed by other survivors of Hamas captivity, including Arbel Yehoud, Shani Goren, and Omer Wenkert, who shared images of themselves holding banners bearing the same slogan.
Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, also joined the campaign, posting her own photo with the hashtag #Independence59, a reference to the number of remaining hostages.
“As long as our boys and girls are held [in Gaza], we can’t celebrate Independence Day,” she wrote. “The Jewish people have no independence while they are there. We must end the war and [reach] a deal to free them all to truly feel independence again.”
Bibas, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the 7 October attacks and held underground in Gaza for months, added, “Please, let the phrase ‘to be a free people in our land’ be true for everyone.”
