The red-haired child, Kfir Bibas, is the youngest of 253 hostages taken in Gaza by Hamas and other militants during the October 7 terror attacks against Israel. On Thursday, Kfir turned one year old, if he is still alive, according to CNN.

The little boy was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel, along with his parents Yarden and Shiri and his four-year-old brother Ariel, News.ro reported.

His family held an event in Tel Aviv on Thursday to celebrate what they called “the saddest birthday in the world”.

A huge crowd filled the square in the center of Tel Aviv, which became known as “Hostage Square”. Many held orange balloons, a nod to Kfir’s red hair. Nearby was a large screen showing the number of days the hostages had been held in Gaza – 103.

A small group of the Bibas’ friends and relatives held a party in Nir Oz on Tuesday, celebrating Kfir’s birthday with lots of balloons and a cake featuring Kfir’s famous photo with a pink elephant.

The same picture was presented by the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday.

Whether Kfir and his family are alive is unknown

“Kfir Bibas is not an enemy of Hamas. Hamas has no rules,” Jimmy Miller, a cousin of the Bibas family, told CNN on Wednesday.

“You know, in every rule, even in the Koran, it says that you can’t harm children… so Hamas violates all the rules of Islam,” he added.

It is not known if Kfir and his family are alive. The two boys and their mother were not released from Gaza during a temporary truce in late November, despite an agreement reached between Israel and Hamas that requires the release of all women and children.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said at the time that it believed the family had been held hostage by groups other than Hamas.

However, later that week, Hamas said, without providing any evidence, that Kfir, his brother and mother were killed in an Israeli airstrike.

The Israeli military declined to comment

The IDF said at the time that it was evaluating the information. Asked Thursday if there were any findings in that investigation, a CNN spokesperson said, “The IDF has no comment.”

Days after announcing the deaths of the family members, Hamas released a video of Yarden Bibas, Kfir’s father, blaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the deaths of his wife and two children. In the video, Bibas was in a lot of pain and most likely speaking under pressure.

The IDF called the video “a cruel act of psychological terror that Hamas uses against the families of hostages.”

Israel believes 253 hostages were taken in Gaza during the October 7 Hamas attack. After the release of the hostages and the rescue operation, the Prime Minister’s Office reports that 132 hostages remain in Gaza, of which 105 are alive and 27 have died.