Crowds lined the streets of Rishon Lezion on Wednesday to accompany murdered hostages Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas on their final journey.
The family requested that only those invited attend the funeral service; the public, however, was invited to stand along the roads with Israeli flags.
As the crowd waited for the funeral procession to arrive in Rishon Lezion, everyday commuters in a variety of vehicles drove through. One driver filmed the rows of flags as he passed by, while another held her face in her hands.
Once the vans were finally within sight, the crowd pushed forward to get closer to the procession. A voice from within the crowd began singing “Hatikvah” quietly, and gradually more joined in. The tone was harrowing and unusually monotonous – a particularly poignant and disquieting moment for all those in attendance.
“We see and hear you; we are moved and strengthened by you,” the Bibas family said in a statement on Wednesday, speaking of the crowds lining the streets. “Yarden apologizes for not being able to come and hug each and every one of you. We hope for the day when we can once again be together in moments of joy and not sadness.”
Yarden Bibas’s sister, Ofri, posted an emotional message for the entire nation.
“Through the window, I see a broken country,” she said on Facebook. “We will not rise and we will not recover until the last of the hostages are home.”
Dozens of orange balloons were released into the sky, representing the fiery red hair of the Bibas family, while the President’s Residence in Jerusalem was lit up in orange in their memory.
“Today, after 509 days, Shiri and her young children are finally being laid to rest with dignity in Israel,” the President’s Office said. “At this moment, as the people of Israel grieve and bow their heads in sorrow, the President’s Residence mourns with Yarden and the Bibas family.
“While an entire nation prayed and hoped for a different outcome, we are left wounded and in pain. Yet, even in our grief, we will continue to pray for better days and for the swift return of all the remaining hostages still held in Gaza.”
Kidnapping of the Bibas family
On October 7, Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir, along with their father, Yarden Bibas, were abducted by terrorists from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Kfir was nine months old and Ariel was four.
Last week, the IDF confirmed the two children had been murdered by terrorists in Gaza captivity.
On Saturday, Shiri’s body was returned from Gaza after the body Hamas had initially transferred to Israel was not hers.
Their father, Yarden, was released from Hamas captivity on February 1 as part of the hostage-ceasefire deal.