Baby in iconic October 7 photo finally returns home to kibbutz

Kai’s parents say returning to Gaza-adjacent Kibbutz Nirim is a victory after the horrors of October 7.

By World Israel News Staff

A baby who survived the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacre has returned to his home in southern Israel as a three-year-old toddler, marking a victory for the family and community.

A photograph of Kai Labban at just 10 days old, showing him hidden in the crevice of a windowsill as terrorists rampaged through their kibbutz, went viral as a powerful symbol of the bloodiest day in Israeli history.

Kai’s parents, Aimee and Uriel Labban, told the New York Post that they took the photograph after terrorists broke into their home and set it on fire, leaving the family trapped in their safe room.

“I thought that if we don’t survive, at least the world will know we did our best to try,” Aimee told the Post, recalling her reasoning for snapping the photograph. “We just tried to keep him alive.”

She initially sent the image to close friends and family, but it was later published by major international news outlets, bringing worldwide attention to the family’s ordeal.

The family remained there for nearly nine hours before eventually being rescued by Israeli soldiers.

The Labbans survived the attack, although they suffered severe smoke inhalation. Kai also required treatment for blood poisoning in the aftermath of the assault.

“Even at 10 days old, he was a fighter,” Aimee said.

The family’s survival did not mean an immediate return to normal life. Their home had been destroyed, and they were displaced from the close-knit agricultural community they had called home.

In August 2025, nearly two years after the attack, the Labbans returned to Kibbutz Nirim, determined to rebuild their lives in the place where their family had begun.

“This will always be our home,” said Aimee, who works as a teacher. “No terrorists will chase us out of our country.”

For the Labbans, returning to Nirim represents a refusal to let the attack determine where they raise their son or build their future.

“This is where we became a family, and this is where we’ll stay a family,” she said.