Ten-day-old Kai Labban was the newest and tiniest star of Kibbutz Nirim, an idyllic cooperative oasis one mile from the Gaza border, when a nightmare shattered their world on Oct. 7, 2023.
New parents Aimee and Uriel Labban were blissfully doting on their newborn baby boy when Hamas terrorists stormed their home and set it ablaze, trying to smoke out everyone inside.
The Labbans’ sole focus was to save their precious, eight-pound, black-haired newborn, so they scrambled to their bedroom’s safe room and placed the tyke in the crevice of a windowsill.
“I took the photo. I thought that if we don’t survive, at least the world will know we did our best to try,” recalled Aimee, who shared the image in real time with family abroad — 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 shot at them. At least one terrorist stood outside the family home with an RPG slung over his shoulder. Uriel held the door shut as the terrorists tried to yank the knob from the other side. Aimee said she doesn’t know why they never fired the RPG.
For nine hours, the family fought for survival after the terrorists moved on to other victims.
The family was rescued by Israel Defense Forces troops, taken to an underground bunker and later to a hospital, where they were treated for severe smoke inhalation. Kai also developed blood poisoning and needed an oxygen tank for three days.
“Even at 10 days old, he was a fighter,” his mom said.
Meanwhile, Kai’s windowsill picture was already circulating around the world after extended family posted the heartbreaking image — which would go on to become an international symbol of hope as Kai became known as the youngest survivor of the Oct. 7 attacks.
“We just tried to keep him alive,” Aimee, 33, told The Post on the near three-year anniversary of the savage attack that murdered 1,200.
“To me, it wasn’t his time,” she continued. “We knew he had other business to attend to.”
As the heart-wrenching 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 asked what we needed,” recalled Aimee, adding that essential items like clothing, diapers, underwear, shoes and a car seat streamed in.
“People have given us so much, but Kai gives so much hope and happiness to people.”
In all, about 150 Hamas terrorists in three separate waves stormed the kibbutz — one of about 19 attacked that day — slaughtering five civilians and abducting another five, two of whom were killed in captivity.
Though their home was completely destroyed, the Labbans, who both work on the kibbutz — Aimee 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,” declared Aimee, a teacher. “No terrorists will chase us out of our country.”
Friends and family thought they were “crazy,” but Aimee insisted they return. “The message to Kai is, never give up,” she said.
The parents think about what they will teach Kai about that fateful day that changed everything.
Though Kai was only a newborn during the onslaught, Aimee believed that “the mind and body have a record of something bad happening.”
“It was the best of humanity alongside the worst of humanity,” said Aimee. “We survived people who wanted us dead and we saw people connect with Kai from worlds away.”
As the family settles back into their beloved kibbutz of about 430 people, surrounded by its famous red wildflowers and dramatic desert backdrop, Aimee can’t help but feel flashes of the past.
“Sometimes you think, ‘OMG, it’s going to happen again,’” said the mom. “But it still feels like the right place to be.”
Aimee, who said both she and Uriel have been diagnosed with PTSD, will mark Oct. 7 by staying home and reflecting on all that was lost – and spared.
“This is where we became a family, and this is where we’ll stay a family.”
