Shiri Bibas and her two sons, Ariel and Kfir, abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 and murdered in captivity, were laid to rest on Wednesday in an emotional ceremony.
Yarden Bibas, Shiri's husband and the boys' father, bid them farewell in a tearful eulogy:
Standing before their coffins, Bibas recounted their final moments together in the safe room of their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. "I asked you, ‘Do we fight or surrender?’ You told me, ‘We fight.’ So I fought," he said, his voice breaking. "Shiri, I am sorry I couldn't protect you."
He recalled the love and laughter that filled their home, reminiscing about the births of Ariel, 4, and Kfir, who was just nine months old. "Ariel, you made me a father. You taught me what really matters in life," Bibas said. "I hope you're not angry with me for not being there when you needed me most." He spoke directly to Kfir, remembering how the midwife had paused during his delivery just to announce, "Another redhead!"—bringing joy and laughter to his parents.
"You made our family even more perfect," Bibas said. "I miss your laugh, your smile, our morning games before work."
He expressed gratitude for the support he had received but admitted that nothing could replace his family. "People tell me they'll always be there for me, but they are not you," he said. "Please, stay close to me. Don’t go too far."
Yarden Bibas' sister Ofri Bibas-Levy also mourned her sister-in-law and nephews: "I didn’t hope to see you again like this. How do you even begin to say goodbye? How can it be that you're no longer here?" she said. "Shiri, you were the perfect partner for Yarden. I couldn't have asked for anyone better for him — loving, sensitive, caring, pampering, calming. The strength you gave him all these years is now what we’re drawing from."
"Luli [Ariel], how I miss you — your shyness, your playfulness, your sweetness, your smile. Kfir, I will never have a replacement for the time I didn’t get to have with you. We had no time at all. I didn’t even get to buy you a first birthday gift.
"There’s no meaning to apologies before the failures are investigated and those responsible are held accountable. They could have saved you, but they chose revenge."
The bodies of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas were returned to Israel last week after being held in captivity by Hamas for more than 500 days. The IDF has confirmed they were killed in Gaza in the early weeks of the war. Their deaths—particularly that of Kfir, the youngest hostage taken to Gaza during the Hamas-led massacre—became a symbol of the brutality of the October 7 attacks.
8 View gallery
Crowds watching broadcast of Bibas family funeral from Hostage Square in Tel Aviv
(Photo: Dana Kopel)
The funeral procession departed from a funeral home in Rishon Lezion in the morning, traveling through multiple junctions before reaching the final burial site at Tzohar Cemetery, with thousands of Israelis lining the roads waving flags to pay their final respects. At the family’s request, no government officials were invited to the ceremony.
Tens of thousands of people lined intersections along the route, waving Israeli flags and orange balloons to pay their final respects. In Rishon Lezion, around 10,000 mourners from across the country gathered with signs reading "Sorry," Israeli flags, and orange balloons, some breaking into tears as the coffins arrived and singing Israel's national anthem "Hatikvah." Yarden Bibas, the husband of Shiri and father of Ariel and Kfir, accompanied their coffins on the minibus as crowds called out to him, "Yarden, we're sorry."
Ahead of the burial, national landmarks, including the Knesset, were illuminated in orange, symbolizing the hair color of the Bibas children. Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said the tragedy "leaves us speechless," calling the attack that claimed their lives "unimaginable cruelty."
Shiri Bibas' body was formally identified at the National Center for Forensic Medicine over the weekend after being transferred from Hamas under delayed circumstances. Initially, Hamas handed over the remains of an unidentified Palestinian woman, claiming Bibas' body was lost in the rubble. Israeli authorities confirmed that Ariel and Kfir’s remains had been identified earlier, concluding that all three had been executed in captivity during the first weeks of the war.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
Kibbutz Nir Oz released a statement honoring Shiri, 32, who was born and raised in the community, working in its finance and education departments. "Shiri, Yarden, Ariel and Kfir loved their home, their porch and their lawn—where they spent countless happy moments as a family before being torn away from it on October 7," the kibbutz said.
Yarden Bibas' sister, Ofri Bibas, said the past two weeks had been an emotional whirlwind for him.
"We went from overwhelming joy at Yarden’s return to devastating sorrow upon learning that Shiri and the children were murdered in captivity," she said. "He is still struggling to process the loss and the public attention, often wondering how Shiri would have handled all of this. But she is no longer here to go through it with him."
The Eshkol Regional Council has encouraged residents to stand along major junctions from 9:00 a.m. to pay their respects, noting that thousands are expected to gather along the funeral route. Organizers have asked attendees to bring Israeli flags as a show of unity. Meanwhile, police will be deployed near the cemetery to ensure security and traffic control.
"The Bibas-Silberman-Seaton family wishes to extend their heartfelt gratitude for the outpouring of love, support and shared grief," a statement from the family read.
First published: 07:42, 02.26.25