TEL AVIV, Israel — Tens of thousands of Israelis, holding flags, orange balloons, and signs reading “forgive us,” lined highways on Wednesday as the bodies of a mother and her two young sons, who died in captivity in the Gaza Strip, were transported for burial.
The Bibas family’s ordeal has come to represent the deep sense of loss and sorrow that continues to grip Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by the militant group Hamas, which initiated the war.
The image of a terrified Shiri Bibas clutching her two redheaded sons — 9-month-old Kfir and 4-year-old Ariel — as they were taken to Gaza by militants is etched in the nation’s memory.
Israel asserts that forensic evidence indicates the boys were killed by their captors in November 2023, while Hamas claims the family died, along with their guards, in an Israeli airstrike.
Their bodies were handed over earlier this month as part of a ceasefire agreement that temporarily halted the Israel-Hamas conflict. Israelis faced further anguish when testing revealed that one of the bodies returned by Hamas was identified as someone else. Shiri’s body was returned the following night and positively identified.
Yarden Bibas, who was abducted separately, was released alive in a different handover last month. His wife and their two children will be buried in a private ceremony near Kibbutz Nir Oz, close to Gaza, where they resided before their abduction. The three will be buried next to Shiri’s parents, who also perished in the attack.
People lined the roads as far as the eye could see, weeping and embracing as the caskets were transported along the 100-kilometer (60-mile) route from central Israel to the cemetery.
Hundreds of motorcycles, each bearing an Israeli flag and orange ribbons, followed the convoy in solemn procession. In Tel Aviv, thousands gathered to watch a broadcast of the eulogies, many wearing orange clothing.
Kfir, the youngest of approximately 30 children taken hostage, quickly became a well-known figure throughout Israel with his red hair and toothless grin. Israeli leaders highlighted his plight at podiums worldwide.
The extended Bibas family has been actively involved in protests, making the color orange a symbol of their fight for the “ginger babies.” They commemorated Kfir Bibas’ first birthday by releasing orange balloons and lobbying global leaders for support.
Family photos displayed on TV and social media created a national connection with the two boys, making them familiar faces.
Israelis learned about Ariel Bibas’ affection for Batman. Photos from happier times showed the entire family dressed as the character.
On Wednesday, many individuals dressed in Batman costumes and saluted as the caskets passed by.
Yarden Bibas delivered a eulogy for his family.
“Do you remember our last conversation together? In the safe room, I asked if we should fight or surrender. You said fight, so I fought,” he said, addressing his wife directly. “Shiri, I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you all. If only I had known what would happen, I wouldn’t have fought.”
He then spoke of his elder son, Ariel: “I hope you know I thought about you every day, every minute.”
“I’m sure you’re making all the angels laugh with your silly jokes and impressions,” he added, imagining the boy in paradise. “I hope there are plenty of butterflies for you to watch, just like you did during our picnics.”
He also addressed his youngest son. “Kfir, I’m sorry I didn’t protect you better,” he said. “I miss nibbling on you and hearing your laughter.”
Dana Silberman Sitton, Shiri’s sister, said she had been preparing for over a year to bury her sister alongside their parents, but the moment was still overwhelming.
She pleaded with people to remember Shiri as full of light and laughter — not just the image of her terrified face during her abduction.
She also asked for forgiveness on behalf of Israel’s government and military for the delay in bringing them home.
Yarden’s sister, Ofri Bibas Levy, a prominent voice in the effort to bring the hostages home, stated that “our disaster as a nation and as a family should not have happened, and must never happen again.”
“Forgiveness means accepting responsibility,” she said. “There is no meaning to forgiveness before the failures are investigated, and all officials take responsibility.”
During the release of the bodies in Gaza last week, Hamas militants displayed coffins on a stage labeled with Shiri’s name and those of her two boys as upbeat music played. Behind them hung a panel where their pictures hovered beneath a cartoon of a vampiric-looking Netanyahu.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the delayed release of Shiri’s remains as a “cruel and malicious violation” of the ceasefire agreement.
Approximately 1,200 people in Israel were killed in the Oct. 7 attack that initiated the war in Gaza, and 251 were taken hostage. More than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
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