Thousands gathered in the town of Tzohar, near the Gaza border, to bid farewell to Ariel, Kfir, and Shiri Bibas, victims of a tragic conflict that has deeply affected Israel. The funeral procession, though private, drew mourners who lined the road from Rishon LeZion, holding Israeli flags and yellow banners as symbols of support for hostage families. The Bibas family had been held hostage by Hamas for 16 months, a period marked by anguish and uncertainty.
Israel has accused Hamas of violating a ceasefire agreement through propaganda ceremonies during the release of hostages. The ceasefire, which had been delayed due to disputes over Palestinian detainees' release, included an exchange of the Bibas family's bodies for Palestinian prisoners. In response to Israel's allegations, a senior Hamas official assured there would be no public ceremony for the latest exchange. The funeral took place amidst tensions, with accusations from the Bibas family directed at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for publicizing graphic details of the children's deaths.
An Israeli autopsy report revealed that the children were murdered by their captors and mutilated to mimic bomb-related injuries. Yarden Bibas, father of the children, was a hostage himself until his release under the ceasefire agreement earlier this month. He only learned of his family's fate upon his release. Ofri Bibas, Yarden's sister, expressed the family's anguish at the funeral procession.
“This is outright abuse of a family that has already been enduring hell for 16 months,” – Ofri Bibas
The Bibas family was laid to rest beside Shiri's parents, victims of an October 7 Hamas attack on Nir Oz and surrounding Israeli communities. The delay in implementing the ceasefire agreement strained relations further, as Netanyahu's security cabinet postponed freeing 602 Palestinian detainees despite Hamas releasing six Israeli hostages earlier in the week.
“Through the car window, I see a broken country; we won’t recover until the last hostage returns home.” – Ofri
In a poignant message at the funeral, Ofri Bibas articulated a broader sentiment.
“Our disaster as a people and as a family should not have happened, and it must not, must not happen again,” – Ofri