Wed Feb 26 13:15:36 UTC 2025: ## Nation Mourns as Israel Bids Farewell to Shiri Bibas and Sons Killed in Gaza
**Zohar, Israel –** Hundreds of mourners gathered today at a cemetery in southern Israel to bury Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, whose deaths have become a potent symbol of the October 7th hostage crisis in Gaza. The family’s remains were returned to Israel last week as part of a ceasefire agreement.
The funeral, restricted to close family, was a deeply emotional affair. Yarden Bibas, the bereaved husband and father, delivered a heart-wrenching eulogy televised live, expressing his sorrow and love for his lost family. Orange balloons, representing the children’s red hair, fluttered in the breeze as mourners laid flowers at the grave, where the three were buried together in a single coffin.
The left-leaning newspaper Haaretz published its front page entirely in orange, a color associated with the family and the tragedy. Across the country, from Tel Aviv’s “Hostages Square” where a large crowd watched the televised funeral, to the roadside where dozens lit candles, the nation expressed its grief. Many attendees wore orange and carried Israeli flags.
Shiri Bibas’s sister-in-law, Ofri, voiced criticism of Israeli officials, arguing that the deaths could have been prevented and calling for an investigation and accountability. Many mourners echoed a sense of national trauma, with several expressing their connection to the family through shared experiences of parenthood and expressing profound sorrow at the loss of innocent lives.
Hamas, which had initially mistakenly delivered the wrong body, maintains that an Israeli airstrike killed the family. However, Israeli post-mortem examinations found no evidence of blast injuries. The circumstances of their deaths remain a point of contention and continue to fuel public debate. The funeral served as a focal point for national mourning and reflection on the devastating conflict.
First Piper 