For over a year, Yoav, a five-year-old boy, eagerly awaited the return of his best friend, Ariel Bibas. He wrote letters, saved a Batman costume for him to wear on Purim, and kept asking the same heartbreaking question: “When is Ariel coming back from Gaza?”
But Ariel was never coming back.
After months of hope and anticipation, Yoav’s parents finally had to break the devastating news—his friend would not be coming home alive.
In that moment, the innocent child looked at them and, in the simplest yet most profound way, expressed his grief: “My heart hurts.”
Yoav’s story is a heart-wrenching reminder of the toll of war, especially on children. While adults struggle with loss, children like him carry pain they barely understand, clinging to memories and unanswered questions.
Ariel’s absence will forever leave a void in Yoav’s young heart—a friendship lost too soon, but never forgotten.
