People gather around a makeshift memorial in front of portraits of late Israeli hostages Shiri (L), Ariel (CL), and Kfir (CR) Bibas, as well as Oded Lifshitz (R) at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, a day ahead of the Bibas family funeral.
Image: Jack GUEZ / AFP
Thousands of mourners, carrying flags and orange balloons, gathered Wednesday for the funeral procession of Shiri Bibas and her sons, who were killed in Gaza captivity and had become symbols of Israel's hostage ordeal.
The bodies of Shiri Bibas and her children - Kfir and Ariel - were returned to Israel last week by Hamas as part of the ongoing ceasefire that has halted the more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza.
Israel's national anthem was played as the black vehicle convoy passed through the crowd of mourners in the central city of Rishon LeZion, where the remains of the three hostages had been prepared for burial.
Thousands of people lined the route to kibbutz Nir Oz, where the Bibas family lived before their abduction by Palestinian militants on October 7, 2023, and where their burial was set to take place later.
"I think if I stop to think about it for more than a split second, I feel so sickened, so sickened," said Simi Polonasky, 38, who travelled from Miami to support hostage families.
"It's not a regular situation: if you're not feeling numb, you're feeling so shattered and broken that it almost feels hard to continue," she told AFP, starting to weep as she spoke.
Dozens of people lit candles at the roadside.
"We're here to give a hug and receive a hug, to be strengthened and to give as much strength as possible," said Mottel Gestetner, 41, who travelled from Australia.
Shiri Bibas and her two children were taken from their kibbutz by Palestinian militants during their unprecedented attack on Israel.
Her husband, Yarden Bibas, was also abducted but was released alive earlier this month in a hostage-prisoner exchange with Palestinian militant group Hamas.
"From the window (of the car) today, I see a broken country. We won't be able to get up or to heal until the last of the hostages is back home. Thank you everyone," his sister Ofri Bibas said on her Facebook page.
The remains of the three Bibas family members were among the first to be returned under the truce deal.
The handover sparked anger in Israel when the remains of Shiri Bibas were not initially returned, prompting Hamas to admit a possible "mix-up of bodies" and finally hand over hers.
Yarden Bibas and his sister-in-law said in a statement last week that while the funeral would "only be for members of the family and close friends", they wanted to let "whoever wishes to pay their respects and be a part of this moment to do so".
Crowds of people were expected to line up along the route from Risho LeZion to Nir Oz as the funeral procession heads to the kibbutz.
Hamas has long insisted that an Israeli air strike killed Shiri, Kfir and Ariel Bibas early in the war, but an Israeli autopsy said there was no evidence of injuries caused by a bombing.
Since their abduction Shiri Bibas and her two sons, Ariel who was then aged four, and Kfir, then only nine months, had become symbols of Israel's hostage ordeal.
AFP
Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.