Shiri and her two sons, Kfir and Ariel, were murdered while being held captive by Hamas in Gaza
A private funeral ceremony was scheduled for Wednesday in Israel for Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, who were killed while in Hamas captivity in Gaza.
They had been kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, during the massacre carried out by the terrorist group.
“Today we begin the funeral procession accompanied by many Israelis.
We see and hear you, and this moves us and gives us strength,” the Bibas family said in a statement Wednesday morning.
Yarden Bibas, Shiri’s husband and Kfir and Ariel’s father, apologized for not being able to get out of the car and hug each person present.
“We look forward to the day when we can gather again in moments of joy, not sadness,” the statement added.
Yarden, who was also kidnapped on October 7 and released on February 1 as part of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, explained on Sunday: “The funeral ceremony will be for family and close friends only.” Still, he stressed that it was important to allow those who wanted to pay their respects to participate.
That’s why the route of the funeral procession was made public, so that people could say goodbye along the way.
The bodies are being taken from Rishon Lezion to the Tekuma area, near the Gaza Strip, where Kibbutz Nir Oz is located.
The public was invited to gather at several points along the route on Wednesday morning, until the Sha’ar HaNegev intersection, where the procession was expected to arrive around 9:15 a.m.
According to the Ma’ariv newspaper, thousands of people were expected to attend.
? Tonight, Israel”s parliament is illuminated in orange in honor of Shiri, Ariel, and baby Kfir who were viciously murdered by Hamas. pic.twitter.com/pPGsI5IPXG
? American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) February 25, 2025
On Tuesday evening, the Knesset building (Israel’s parliament) was lit up in orange in memory of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir.
On Wednesday morning, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana opened the day’s session with a minute of silence in honor of the Bibas family, Oded Lifshitz and all those who lost their lives on October 7 and in the war that followed.
For many Israelis and people around the world, the Bibas family symbolized the suffering of the 251 hostages taken hostage by Hamas on October 7 and the cruelty of the terrorists.
Hamas claimed that Shiri and her children died because of Israeli bombings in Gaza, but forensic examinations have proven that this claim is not true.
“The heart of the nation is broken by the kidnapping and brutal murder of Shiri and her children, Ariel and Kfir, may their memory be a blessing,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday after Hamas returned Shiri’s body.
The terror group was supposed to hand over Shiri’s remains along with those of her children on Thursday, but DNA tests showed that the body it handed over was not hers.
Shiri’s real body was returned on Saturday.
“The warmth, love and strength that you have sent us from all over Israel and the world strengthens us and accompanies us in these difficult times,” Yarden Bibas said in his statement.
“We feel your open hearts, your enormous embrace, your pain along with ours – and we do not take it for granted.”
Published in 02/26/2025 10h28
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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