A young mother and her two sons who were abducted in the Hamas-led attack on Israel in 2023 were buried in an emotional funeral ceremony on Wednesday, to an outpouring of national grief.
Shiri Bibas (32) and her children Ariel (4) and Kfir, aged nine months, were seized from kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7th attack. Hamas says they died in an Israeli air strike on Gaza, but Israel says they were murdered by their captors.
Their funeral took place as the final elements of the first stage of the Gaza ceasefire were due to be completed late on Wednesday. Hamas was set to transfer four bodies of hostages, without a ceremony, while Israel was to release more than 600 Palestinian prisoners who were initially due to be set free last Saturday.
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Tens of thousands of Israelis lined the route as the Bibas family’s funeral procession drove south from Rishon Lezion, travelling through multiple intersections packed with mourners, before reaching its final destination in Tzohar, southern Israel, close to Nir Oz.
Those paying their respects came from all sections of Israeli society, young and old, secular and religious, Jews and Arabs, all united in grief and many openly weeping. They held Israeli flags and orange balloons, symbolising the ginger-haired children.
The family limited the funeral to relatives, friends and members of the Nir Oz community and made it clear that politicians were not welcome, asking them instead to use the time of the funeral to focus on securing the release of the 63 hostages who are still in Gaza.
The funeral was broadcast live on all the main television stations; Israel hadn’t witnessed such an event since the funeral of slain prime minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.
[ Hamas hands over bodies of youngest Gaza hostages taken from IsraelOpens in new window ]
The image of a terrified Shiri Bibas, clutching Kfir, who at nine months was the youngest of all the hostages seized, and Ariel, surrounded by armed Palestinian militants, became one of the defining images of the October 7th attack. The children’s father, Yarden, was released from captivity in Gaza earlier this month.
In his heartbreaking eulogy for his wife and children, Mr Bibas, choking with emotion, asked forgiveness for the fact that he was not able to protect them. “Do you remember our last decision together? In the safe room, I asked if we should ‘fight or surrender’. You said fight, so I fought. Shiri, I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you all. Shiri, stay by my side, watch over me so I don’t sink into darkness,” he said.
Ms Bibas and her two children were buried together in a single coffin. “They will remain side by side just as she always embraced her children, even on that cursed day,” said Nir Oz resident Carmit Palty Katzir.
Dana Silberman Sitton, the sister of Shiri, said in her eulogy: “I want to ask your forgiveness on behalf of our leadership and military who weren’t there for you that day, and who took so long to bring you back to your homeland.”
Ofri Bibas Levy, Shiri’s sister-in-law and aunt to her children, said the October 7th disaster for the nation and for the Bibas family should not have happened, and must never happen again.
“They could have saved you but preferred revenge,” she said. “Our struggle against the enemies will be eternal, but we must always sanctify life, love of fellow humans, respect for the dead and never leave anyone behind. Otherwise, we lose who we are.”
Hamas politburo official Mohammad Nazzal claimed on Wednesday that the organisation “treats its prisoners in a humane, moral and civilised manner”. His comments came despite the images of emaciated hostages and numerous reports from those released of inhumane conditions and treatment during captivity.
