Thousands of people gathered Friday to accompany slain hostage Inbar Hayman on her final journey, more than two years after she was murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7 and taken into Gaza.
Hayman, 27, from Haifa, had come to the Nova music festival as a “helper” assisting dancers who felt unwell. For nearly two months after the massacre, she was listed as alive until her family received the devastating news on December 16, 2023.
Inbar Hayman's funeral procession
(Video: Meir Turgeman)
On Thursday, her family revealed that Hayman had served as a commander in the IDF’s Caracal Battalion during her military service. Her remains were returned to Israel late Wednesday night, together with those of Sgt. Maj. Muhammad Al-Atrash. The funeral procession began in Rishon Lezion and concluded at Yarkon Cemetery in Petah Tikva.
The ceremony opened with the recitation of Psalms. Hayman’s coffin was draped in a black cloth and an Israeli flag, and mourners placed flowers beside it, whispering, “Forgive us, Inbar.” Among the attendees were President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal, Innovation Minister Gila Gamliel, and families of other hostages.
Hayman’s mother, Yifat, delivered an emotional eulogy: “I never believed, my beautiful one, that after two years you would finally come home. We waited month after month, deal after deal, and in the end you came—because you were the last. You always helped everyone, and you waited until all the Nova people returned. How does a mother say goodbye to her daughter after 27 years? How do I part from such a bright, beautiful soul who always put everyone else first?”
Through tears, she added: “You always told me, ‘Mom, do what makes you happy. You’re the most beautiful in the world.’ We had our coffee time together, phones aside. That was our ‘mom time.’ You were my daughter and my best friend. How does a mother bury her daughter—her child of color and love—who always saw the good in people? Rest, my pink angel. I promise you’ll never be forgotten. I’ll make sure your gravestone is pink, like I promised. I’ll come to speak with you, light a candle, and lay a flower. I love you forever.”
Her father, Haim, also spoke: “How can a father eulogize his child? It’s against nature. Children are meant to bury their parents, not the other way around. You were a child of endless giving—of freedom, nature, light, and love. No one warned us that the gift we received would last only 27 years. If only I had known, I would have savored every second. You filled the world with your art and painted it pink. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to save you, and that it took us so long to bring you home. But now you’re back, and I promise to visit you every day.”
Hayman’s brother, Ido, remembered her as “the family’s sunflower”: “Every tear, every laugh, every whisper you left behind is engraved in me. You taught me graffiti; because of you, I dare to create and explore. You were so colorful, so full of life. When I close my eyes, I still see you.”
Before the burial, hundreds joined the funeral procession, many dressed in pink—her artistic signature and nickname, “Pink.” Among the mourners were Haifa soccer fans who came wearing pink Maccabi Haifa shirts with the number 8 and her graffiti name printed on them. One woman carried a sign reading, “Forgive us, Inbar.”
Haifa residents Eti Assouline and Liat Fedida, who knew Hayman from the stands of Sammy Ofer Stadium, said, “We hoped for a different ending—for her to come back alive—but at least she’s home. She was the last woman still held there. We’ll never forget her.”
President Isaac Herzog eulogized her, calling Hayman “a beloved daughter, courageous and pure—the last hostage to return from Gaza.” He said:
“How did a child of light, love, and kindness meet such cruelty? Inbar has come home to the land she loved, but our mission is not over. We must not rest until every hostage is returned.”
Hayman’s family concluded: “If Inbar were here, she would tell us to keep fighting for the 19 hostages still in captivity. Our Inbar, a commander and a true daughter of Israel—we salute you. You were the last to return, as you always cared for everyone else before yourself.”