US Amb Huckabee, former hostage Yarden Bibas dedicate memorial tree for his murdered family

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and former hostage Yarden Bibas dedicated an olive tree on Thursday in memory of Bibas’ wife, Shiri, and their two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, who were killed while in captivity in Gaza.

The memorial ceremony was held at Moshav HaYogev in northern Israel as part of the My Tree in Israel initiative. During the event, Huckabee said the Bibas family’s loss had not been forgotten.

“The sacrifice that your family made for the people of Israel is one that obviously is not being forgotten,” Huckabee told Bibas. Referring to the olive tree and commemorative plaque, he added that it would serve as “a reminder that life is still coming.”

Bibas was abducted along with his wife and children during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. Ariel was four years old at the time, and Kfir was nine months old. Yarden Bibas was held separately from his family and was released alive after 484 days in captivity. The bodies of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir were returned to Israel in February 2025.

At Thursday’s event, Huckabee also addressed Avi Harush, the father of Sgt. Reef Harush, a 20-year-old IDF soldier killed in combat in southern Gaza in 2024.

“Anything that happens to Israel is going to happen to Americans because there are so many of us who are here,” Huckabee said. “When someone falls in battle, they’re certainly fighting for Israel, but they are also defending the 700,000 US citizens who are here as well.” Harush thanked Huckabee for the gesture, saying, “I think that now [Reef] is happy.”

The Bibas family has become one of the most recognized symbols in Israel of the Oct. 7 attack and its aftermath. In November 2025, the family approved plans for a separate memorial project, known as “Bibas Footprints,” in memory of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir.

Speaking at the time, Yarden said he was deeply moved by the initiative, while also reflecting on how dramatically his family’s life had changed since the attack.

“On one hand, it’s deeply moving to see such an initiative, especially the footprints,” he said. “On the other hand, it’s still incomprehensible to me.”

The Bibas family has roots in Argentina, where Shiri, Ariel and Kfir were also widely mourned. In February 2025, Argentine lawmaker Yamil Santoro proposed renaming “Palestine Street” in Buenos Aires as “Bibas Family Street,” saying the move was intended to honor victims of terrorism.