Sawt Falasteen - Thousands mourn Bibas family, symbols of Israel's hostage ordeal

The bodies of Shiri Bibas and her children -- Kfir and Ariel -- were returned to Israel last week by Hamas as part of the ongoing ceasefire that has halted the more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza.

Israel's national anthem was sang in hushed tones as the black vehicle convoy passed through the crowd of mourners in the central city of Rishon LeZion, where the remains of the three hostages had been prepared for burial.

Thousands of people lined the route to Zohar, near kibbutz Nir Oz, where the Bibas family lived before their abduction by Palestinian militants on October 7, 2023.

Their burial was set to take place at a private ceremony in Zohar later.

"The Bibas family, I think, is like the symbol of everything that happened to us since October 7," said retired teacher Ayala Schlesinger Avidov, 72, visibly emotional as she spoke to AFP.

"The two babies and the mother that did nothing to the world and were murdered in cold blood," she added.

Mourners, many struggling to hold back tears, held banners and signs reading "sorry" along the convoy's route in Rishon LeZion.

"I think if I stop to think about it for more than a split second, I feel so sickened, so sickened," said Simi Polonasky, 38, who travelled from Miami to support hostage families.

"It's not a regular situation: if you're not feeling numb, you're feeling so shattered and broken that it almost feels hard to continue," she told AFP, starting to weep as she spoke.

Dozens of people lit candles at the roadside.

"We're here to give a hug and receive a hug, to be strengthened and to give as much strength as possible," said Mottel Gestetner, 41, who travelled from Australia.

"The Bibas family has got into all of us, in the heart," said Aviv Nahman, 22, who was visibly emotional while talking to AFP.

"I have a sister and nephews the exact same ages, so I felt an obligation to be here today," she added.

Speaking of the Palestinian militants who seized the Bibas family on their unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, Nahman said: "I wanted to believe there is something human in them after all, but I guess you cannot expect something more from them".

- 'Broken country' -

Shiri Bibas' husband, Yarden Bibas, was also abducted but was released alive earlier this month in a hostage-prisoner exchange with Palestinian militant group Hamas.

"From the window (of the car) today, I see a broken country. We won't be able to get up or to heal until the last of the hostages is back home. Thank you everyone," his sister Ofri Bibas said on her Facebook page.

The remains of the three Bibas family members were among the first to be returned under the truce deal.

The handover sparked anger in Israel when the remains of Shiri Bibas were not initially returned, prompting Hamas to admit a possible "mix-up of bodies" and finally hand over hers.

Yarden Bibas and his sister-in-law said in a statement last week that while the funeral would "only be for members of the family and close friends", they wanted to let "whoever wishes to pay their respects and be a part of this moment to do so".

Crowds of people were lining up along the route from Risho LeZion to Zohar and Nir Oz as the funeral procession heads there.

Since their abduction Shiri Bibas and her two sons, Ariel who was then aged four, and Kfir, then only nine months, had become symbols of Israel's hostage ordeal.

Y.Shaath--SF-PST