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CV NEWS FEED // The funeral for the youngest victim taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, was held this week in southern Israel. Kfir Bibas, who was nine months old when he was abducted, was buried Feb. 26 with his brother, Ariel, and their mother, Shiri, in the same casket.
The Associated Press reports that Yarden Bibas, who was released earlier this year after being abducted separately from his wife and two sons, gave a eulogy for his family on the day of the burial. Tens of thousands of Israelis turned out along the road in support.
“Shiri, you are everything to me! You are the best wife and mother there could be,” Yarden said, according to a transcript published by the New York Post. “Shiri, you are my best friend. … How am I supposed to make decisions without you? 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.”
“Shiri, I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you all. If only I had known what would happen, I wouldn’t have fired,” he said. “I think about everything we went through together — there are so many beautiful memories.”
He said he deeply misses times when he and his wife would talk for hours at home or at a cafe. He recalled his sons being born, and how Kfir would play games with him in the morning before work and how Ariel would watch butterflies when they went out for picnics. Ariel was 4 when he was taken hostage.
“Ariel, I hope you’re not angry with me for failing to protect you properly and for not being there for you. I hope you know I thought about you every day, every minute,” Yarden said in the eulogy.
Speaking to Kfir, he said, “You brought more light and happiness to our home.”
After Hamas returned the Bibas children’s bodies to Israel last week, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that a forensic analysis indicates that Hamas murdered the children shortly after they were taken captive. Hamas claimed in November 2023 that an Israeli airstrike killed the children and their mother, without providing any evidence to back this claim, as CatholicVote previously reported.
Shiri, Kfir, and Ariel were buried at the Tsoher Regional Cemetery, which is close to the home in Nir Oz Kibbutz where they were abducted, according to the Catholic Standard.
The Catholic leaders in Jerusalem released a statement the same day saying that they are praying that Shiri, Kfir, and Ariel may rest in peace.
“As Patriarchs and Heads of Churches, we mourn the loss of life, especially the lives of children and civilians on all sides. Just as our Lord Jesus Christ wept, we also weep and mourn with family members who lost their loved ones,” they said.
The religious leaders added that they are continuing to call and pray for peace and a longstanding ceasefire.
“Steps must be taken carefully if our beloved land [is] to inch towards a lasting peace of mutual flourishing. Until the day of peace comes, we solemnly pray and call for the alleviation of suffering for all people involved and entangled in this conflict,” they concluded. “We continue to action the churches of the Holy Land as instruments of peace, and we pray for all those who mourn, and, in particular, the Bibas family in this period of mourning.”
