Thousands line streets in Israel for Bibas family funeral procession

A former Israeli hostage has paid tribute to his wife and two young children who were killed in captivity in Gaza, saying: "I hope you know I thought about you every day, every minute."

Thousands of mourners in Israel gathered on the streets for the funeral procession of Shiri Bibas and her two sons.

Ms Bibas, 32, was kidnapped with four-year-old Ariel, and nine-month-old Kfir from the Niz Or kibbutz during Hamas's attack on Israel in October 2023.

The children's father, Yarden Bibas, who was taken hostage separately from his family, was freed on 1 February.

His wife and children were buried near Niz Or kibbutz during a private ceremony on Wednesday.

Mr Bibas delivered an emotional eulogy at the funeral.

"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," he said, speaking directly to his wife.

"Shiri, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you all. If only I had known what would happen, I wouldn't have fought."

He then spoke of his elder son, Ariel: "I'm sure you're making all the angels laugh with your silly jokes and impressions. I hope there are plenty of butterflies for you to watch, just like you did during our picnics."

Mr Bibas also addressed his youngest son. "Kfir, I'm sorry I didn't protect you better," he said. "I miss nibbling on you and hearing your laughter."

People holding up Israeli flags and orange balloons lined the streets to pay their final respects.

The extended Bibas family has been active at protests, branding the colour orange as the symbol of their fight for the "ginger babies".

In the city of Tel Aviv, people gathered to watch a broadcast of the eulogies, many dressed in orange.

The three were buried next to Ms Bibas's parents, who were also killed in the attack.

Hamas released their bodies last week as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel, though initially the militant group did not release the correct body for Ms Bibas - causing outrage.

The body of the Israeli mother-of-two was eventually released and positively identified.

Hamas has claimed they were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Israel denies this and says they were killed by their captors.

Kfir was the youngest of about 30 children abducted by Hamas.

The infant, with red hair and a toothless smile, quickly became well-known across Israel. His ordeal was raised by Israeli leaders on podiums around the world.

The body of journalist and peace activist Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was abducted, was also repatriated at the same time as the Bibas family.

Hamas handed over the remains as part of the ceasefire agreement reached with Israel last month that's seen living Israeli hostages swapped with Palestinian prisoners.

The four bodies were transferred in black coffins in a carefully orchestrated public display involving dozens of armed Hamas militants - which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as "despicable", and UN human rights chief Volker Turk said was "cruel" and "inhumane".

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Around 1,200 people in Israel were killed in the 7 October Hamas attack that triggered the war in Gaza, and 251 were taken hostage.

More than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Gaza health ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.

(c) Sky News 2025: Thousands line streets in Israel for Bibas family funeral procession