Michal Lobanov gave birth to her second son less than a month ago, while her husband and the father of her children, Alex and his father who were taken by Hamas on October 7. "The hardest moment for me was the covenant; Alex was so missed," Michal says. "He was missing holding the baby, cradling him. It broke us."
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Alex was abducted to Gaza on October 7 from the Nova music festival after managing the bar at the event. At the beginning of the month, Michal gave birth to their second son, Kai, brother to two-year-old Tom. "Alex's absence is very noticeable, and it makes the situation difficult," Michal shared. "There are moments when I break down, but I need to be strong for my sons," she says.
"The atmosphere at home is relatively okay; in the end, there are two children who need to be raised and need to be strong for them." Regarding the name given to their second son, she says: "Alex and I talked about this name; he really liked it, and since he was abducted to Gaza, I hold onto this name. He also looks like him, they have the same nose."
"Kai's presence breaks all the negative energies in the house. Every time I hold him, I become calm. His presence fills us with hope, a lot of hope. Although he still doesn't sleep through the night, I've gotten used to not sleeping."
Since Kai's birth, his older brother Tom has been helping his mother. "He is still too young to understand where Dad is or to try to explain it to himself, but he is very excited about Kai. He wants to help me, bring a pacifier or a blanket. He always wants to cuddle him."
Throughout the pregnancy, Michal documented herself with Tom, and even now, when Alex has been in Gaza for 168 days, she makes sure to gather as many memories as possible for the moment when Alex returns home. "I take pictures of Alex with the little one, with the big one, on Purim, everything so that he has documentation and that he doesn't miss it."
Michal wants to convey a message to Alex: "I want to tell you that you have to come back and see how much Kai looks like you, how much Tom is waiting for you. You need to be strong, just as we are strong for you."