Artist's Portrait of Captive Toddler Hopes to Resonate Globally

"Today, Kfir Bibas is marking his first birthday as a captive of Hamas, and reading about it filled me with an overwhelming urge to paint this adorable redhead," writes artist Hodaya Bushari beneath her painting of Kfir, published on "the saddest birthday."

"I wanted his birthday to carry a meaning that resonates from one end of the world to the other. To remind everyone: 'A one-year-old baby kidnapped in Gaza, and the world remains silent!!!'"

"I have a playful and active one-year-old myself," the artist continues, "and looking at him while painting Kfir gives me chills... It brings tears of deep pain. It raises a prayer from the depths of my heart: 'Please Hashem, save us.' May he and all our loved ones in distress and captivity be blessed for the coming years up to one hundred and twenty, and may we soon witness their healthy and complete redemption and rescue. Amen."

You are invited to watch the painting process of Kfir: