Israel bids farewell to the Bibas: "It is very sad to see the lives that could have been saved"

After more than a year of uncertainty, death in Gaza and grief for the 97 hostages held by Hamas before the ceasefire, Israel was finally able to pay tribute and say goodbye on Wednesday to mother Shiri and her sons Ariel and Kfir Bibas , the youngest hostages killed in the Strip during the Israeli offensive.

"It is very sad to see the lives that could have been saved," said 46-year-old Israeli Shiri to EFE from the now-famous Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. Crying and holding a child in her arms, the woman admits to being afraid for her children's future and is calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

"I personally feel that the government does not represent me or what I want for Israel . We want all our hostages to return," Shiri adds.

About 100 kilometres from the square, which was packed with hundreds of people who followed the funeral of the Bibas through a live broadcast, Yarden, also a former hostage and father of the children , remembered them with sadness during their burial. He himself was released from Gaza in an exchange on 1 February.

"Ariel, I hope you're not angry with me for not protecting you properly and for not being there for you. I hope you know that I've thought about you every day, every minute, " the father said, his voice breaking, in a cemetery near Kibbutz Nir Oz, a few kilometers away from Gaza and where the family was captured.

"I hope you're enjoying paradise. I'm sure you're making all the angels laugh with your silly jokes and impersonations. I hope there are plenty of butterflies for you to watch, just like you did during our picnics," Yarden continued of his eldest son, who was captured at just 4 years old.

Massive funeral procession across the country

Before the funeral began, thousands of Israelis took to the country's roads this morning to accompany the funeral procession that transported the three bodies in a black van to the south of the country. In aerial images, numerous people can be seen on the roadsides, waving Israeli flags and orange balloons in honour of the reddish hair that both Ariel and Kfir had; a colour that has enveloped the struggle of the rest of the relatives and Israelis for the release of the four Bibas for more than a year.

Yarden's sister, Ofri Bibas Levy, said in her speech at the funeral that she would remember her nephews and sister-in-law "happy, laughing, like a family." She also reiterated that their deaths were preventable and called on the government to investigate what happened and assume responsibility .

"For sixteen months I have been talking about you everywhere. It always hurt me and increased my longing, but talking about you also kept you present, alive. How can it be that you are no longer here?" said this relative.

Although Hamas's armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, announced at the end of November 2023 that the Bibas had been killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike in Gaza , Israel said it was unable to verify it. It was only on February 20 that the bodies of the two children were returned to Israeli territory along with that of another former hostage, the journalist and pacifist Oded Lifshitz, 83 years old and buried yesterday in Kibbutz Nir Oz. The remains of Shiri, 32, were delayed a day after Hamas allegedly made a mistake and handed over those of a Gazan woman killed in the war instead .

"They could have saved us, but they preferred revenge. We lost. Our image of triumph will never come true. Our fight against the enemies will be eternal," Ofri said.