‘We see and hear you’, Bibas family tells mourners

They came in their thousands, lining the roads, the bridges, the intersections, just to be there when the coffins of Shiri and her children Kfir and Ariel passed by for the last time.

It was supposed to be a private funeral but ordinary Israelis were never going to let the Bibas family go without saying goodbye to the mother and two boys who had captured and broken their hearts.

So they came in their thousands, lining the roads, the bridges, the intersections, just to be there when the coffins of Shiri and her children Kfir and Ariel passed by for the last time.

For a few hours it was as if the country had collectively stopped. National landmarks, including the Knesset, were illuminated in orange, symbolising the hair colour of the tiny redheads Kfir and Ariel, aged just nine months and four when they were captured and murdered by Hamas.

Mourners react as the convoy carrying the coffins of slain hostages Shiri Bibas and her two children. Picture: AP

As the funeral procession drove across central Israel to the family’s home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, ordinary Israelis paid their respects in different ways.

Some cried, others bowed their heads, some held orange balloons symbolising the colour of the boy’s hair while others sang songs, including the national anthem.

In the ongoing national nightmare of the fate of the hostages captured by Hamas, no single family symbolised a country’s anguish as did Shiri and her two boys, captured on October 7 and then murdered shortly afterwards.

Yarden Bibas, Shiri’s husband and the boys’ father – who was also held hostage by Hamas – apologised for being unable to protect his family during Hamas’s October 2023 attack.

“Shiri, I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you all,” he said in his eulogy at the funeral.

“Shiri, I love you and will always love you. Shiri, you are everything to me. You are the best wife and mother there could be. Shiri, you are my best friend,” said Yarden, his voice choking with emotion as he read his eulogy, which was televised live from a cemetery near Nir Oz.

“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 ... If only I had known what would happen, I wouldn’t have fired,” said Yarden Bibas, describing the events of that day when militants attacked Nir Oz.

People react as they watch a live feed of Yarden Bibas give a eulogy for his wife Shiri Bibas and children Ariel and Kfir on a screen in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Picture: Getty Images

“Shiri, this is the closest I’ve been to you since October 7th, and I can’t kiss or hug you, and it’s breaking me!” said Yarden as his sister Ofri stood next to him.

He also apologised to his two sons, Kfir, who was nine months old, and Ariel, aged four, at the time of the attack.

“Ariel, I hope you’re not angry with me for failing to protect you properly and for not being there for you,” he said.

“I hope you know I thought about you every day, every minute. I hope you’re enjoying paradise. I’m sure you’re making all the angels laugh with your silly jokes and impressions,” said Yarden Bibas.

Remembering Kfir, he said he had a “perfect family” with Shiri and the two sons. “I remember during the delivery when the midwife suddenly stopped everything ... but it was just to tell us we had another redhead,” he said, speaking of Kfir.

“You brought more light and happiness to our little home. You came with your sweet, captivating laugh and smile, and I was instantly hooked! It was impossible not to nibble on you all the time,” he said.

People line the street to watch the funeral procession. Picture: Getty Images

Ofri Bibas, the sister of Yarden Bibas posted on Facebook: “Through the window, I see today a broken nation. We will not rise or be rehabilitated until the last of the hostages is home. Thank you all.”

The residence of president Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem was also lit up in orange in memory of the Bibas family.

Mourners react as the convoy passes. Picture: AP

“An entire country and an ­entire people are in a time of mourning. All of us, an entire people with broken hearts, are ­accompanying them to eternal rest,” Mr Herzog said in a statement. “This is not how we prayed for them to return to us. In our minds’ eyes we saw them returning, shining with their golden heads, with the lively, playful gaze that shone in their little eyes.

“If there is still mercy in the world, the beautiful faces of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir will be a heart-rending cry, echoing in all corners of the world. A cry that is heard from one end of the world to the other and awakens the hearts of the people of the world, whose senses have become dull, whose measure of justice has been distorted, whose hearts have been sealed. See, oh world, today we are bringing to burial the sweetest and most righteous of your children. Open your heart, oh world, join in the great cry that an entire broken people are crying out.”

A destroyed building at kibbutz Nir Oz in Israel’s south. Picture: Liam Mendes

The bodies of the family were returned to Israel last week as part of the ceasefire agreement. But Shiri’s body did not return home with her boys after it was discovered that another unknown woman’s body was in the coffin instead of her. Hamas claimed it was a mix-up and returned Shiri’s body to Israel several days later.

The Israeli military said forensic tests confirmed that Shiri and the boys had been killed by Hamas rather than by Israeli bombs as Hamas had claimed.

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said the tragedy “leaves us speechless”, calling the attack that claimed their lives “unimaginable cruelty”.

Additional reporting: AFP