Ten-day-old Kai Labban was the newest and smallest star of Kibbutz Nirim, an idyllic cooperative oasis a mile from the Gaza border, when a nightmare shattered their world on October 7, 2023.
New parents Aimee and Uriel Labban were doting on their newborn when Hamas terrorists stormed their home and set it on fire, trying to smoke out everyone inside.
The Labbans’ only goal was to save their precious black-haired, eight-pound newborn, so they rushed to the safe room of their bedroom and placed the child in the crevice of a windowsill.
“I took the photo. I thought if we don’t survive, at least the world will know that we did our best to try,” recalls Aimee, who shared the image in real time with her family overseas – who then sent it to the media.
Outside, Hamas’ elite Nukhba unit stormed the kibbutz on motorcycles and pickup trucks, armed with automatic weapons and grenades, and set fire to civilian homes and cars and fired on them. At least one terrorist stood outside the family home with an RPG slung over his shoulder. Uriel held the door closed while the terrorists tried to pull the handle on the other side. Aimee said she didn’t know why they never fired the RPG.
For nine hours, the family fought to survive after the terrorists turned their attention to other victims.
The family was rescued by Israel Defense Forces soldiers, taken to an underground bunker and then to a hospital, where they were treated for severe smoke inhalation. Kai also developed blood poisoning and required an oxygen tank for three days.
“Even at 10 days old, he was a fighter,” his mother said.
Meanwhile, Kai’s photo on the windowsill was already circulating around the world after his extended family posted the heartbreaking image – which would become an international symbol of hope as Kai became known as the youngest survivor of the October 7 attacks.
“We just tried to keep him alive,” Aimee, 33, told the Post on the third anniversary of the savage attack that killed 1,200.
“For me, it wasn’t his time,” she continued. “We knew he had other business to attend to.”
As the heartbreaking image went viral, support poured in from around the world. Well-wishers from Poland, Brazil, Greece and Russia sent expressions of love and support – notes reading: “Kai reminds me of my own grandson” – and gifts.
“People were asking us what we needed,” Aimee recalls, adding that essential items like clothes, diapers, underwear, shoes and a car seat were coming in.
“People have given us so much, but Kai gives people so much hope and happiness.”
In total, around 150 Hamas terrorists stormed the kibbutz in three separate waves – one of 19 attacks that day – massacring five civilians and kidnapping five others, two of whom were killed in captivity.
Although their house was completely destroyed, the Labbans, who both work on the kibbutz – Aimée as a teacher and Uriel as a hydrotherapist – were determined to return to their community.
And they did, in August 2025.
“This will always be our home,” said Aimee, a teacher. “No terrorist will drive us out of our country.”
Friends and family thought they were “crazy,” but Aimee insisted they come back. “The message to Kai is: never give up,” she said.
The parents consider what they will teach Kai about that fateful day that changed everything.
Although Kai was only a newborn at the time of the assault, Aimee believed that “the mind and body have a record of something bad that happened.”
“It was the best of humanity alongside the worst of humanity,” Aimee said. “We’ve survived people who wanted us dead and we’ve seen people connect with Kai from worlds far away.”
As the family settles back into their beloved kibbutz of about 430 people, surrounded by its famous red wildflowers and spectacular desert backdrop, Aimee can’t help but feel flashes of the past.
“Sometimes you’re like, ‘Oh my God, it’s going to happen again,’” the mom said. “But it’s still the right place to be.”
Aimee, who said she and Uriel were diagnosed with PTSD, will mark Oct. 7 by staying home and reflecting on all that has been lost — and spared.
“This is where we became family, and this is where we will remain family.”
Gn world
