Yarden Bibas has farewelled his wife and children, who were killed whilst held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, apologising for not being able to protect them on October 7, 2023.
Fighting back tears as he paid tribute to wife Shiri and his sons Ariel and Kfir, who were aged four and nine months when they were abducted, Mr Bibas asked for his wife's spirit to protect him in the difficult times to come.
Mr Bibas told mourners gathered at the Tsoher cemetery, near the family's former home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, he wished he could tell his wife about "how surreal all this madness is".
"Who will help me make decisions now? How am I supposed to make decisions without you?" Mr Bibas said.
"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."
Video of Mrs Bibas clutching her young children, separated from her husband, are among the most striking from October 7 2023.
The fear was etched across her face as she was surrounded by armed gunmen, and taken into Gaza.
"Shiri, this is the closest I've been to you since October 7th, and I can't kiss or hug you, and it's breaking me and killing me," Mr Bibas said.
"Shiri, please watch over me. Keep me away from bad decisions. Shield me from harmful things and protect me from myself.
"Guard me so I don't sink into darkness."
Shiri's parents were also killed during the attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz.
"Please watch over us from above, five angels who are only mine," Shiri's sister Dana said at the funeral.
"Hug Mum and Dad for me and take care of them."
Adorning Ariel's grave was a picture drawn by his kindergarten friends.
Israel's Channel 12 had spoken to the families of some of those children, who said they were struggling to understand why their classmate wasn't returning.
One suggested he was now a "spaceman" who was "flying in space."
The red-headed Bibas boys remembered by their father
Supported by his sister, the young father then spoke about his eldest son.
"Ariel, I hope you're not angry with me for failing to protect you properly and for not being there for you," he said.
"I hope you know I thought about you every day, every minute. I hope you're enjoying paradise.
"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."
The Bibas' had only welcomed their youngest son, Kfir nine months before their world was torn apart.
"I remember during the delivery the midwife suddenly stopped everything — we were frightened and thought something was wrong — but it was just to tell us we had another redhead," Mr Bibas said.
"Mum and I laughed and rejoiced. You brought more light and happiness to our little home.
"I have so many more things to tell you all, but I'll save them for when we're alone."
Thousands line the streets to farewell the Bibas family
Thousands of Israelis lined streets and highways for around 100 kilometres to pay their final respects to the family, as the bodies of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir were driven south from the outskirts of Tel Aviv.
Many carried orange balloons — an homage to the hair colour of the young boys.
One of those on the roadside near Sderot was Carmel Renas, who had travelled to Israel on her gap year to help with rebuilding efforts in communities along the Gaza strip.
"Just as we were leaving the kibbutz, I came out and I said, 'wow,' because I saw all the parked cars and I thought it was amazing how many people came out and are standing here together in solidarity," she said.
Another local, Meirav Shusterman fought back tears as she explained how the community was feeling 16 months after the deadly October 7 attacks.
"It's like a bad, bad, creepy movie… I'm shocked," she said.
"I'm feeling like I'm in a dream, a bad one."
Mariano Debowski, who lived in one of the kibbutz near Sderot, said it was a "day of solidarity" for the country.
"It's broken our spirit to see them coming in coffins, instead of being alive," he said.
"We had a big hope about this family that they're going to be alive.
"And instead of this big hope … we are going to say goodbye to this beautiful family."
Overnight institutions such as the Knesset in Jerusalem were also lit up in orange, in tribute to the Bibas family.
The front pages of the nation's major newspapers carried full page advertisements funded by Israel's union movement eulogising the family and calling for a return of all hostages still held in Gaza.
Deal struck for further hostage releases
The outpouring of grief was indicative of how much the Bibas family had been seared into the national psyche.
But, it also served as a reminder of what remained at risk if the current ceasefire crumbled.
63 hostages are still held by Hamas in Gaza, with Israeli authorities believing more than 30 have been killed whilst in captivity.
The Israeli Government's fury at the hostage handover process, describing the ceremonies where Hamas presented hostages to the Red Cross as humiliating and degrading, had led to the delay in releasing 620 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
The two sides had been locked in negotiations to break the deadlock, with a deal announced on Wednesday evening local time.
The bodies of four Israeli hostages, which had been expected to be returned this week, will be handed over without ceremony, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.
Hamas said the four men are Tsachi Idan, Itzik Elgarat, Ohad Yahaloumi and Shlomo Mantzur.
In exchange, Israel would free the Palestinians as originally promised.
Israeli and Arab media is reporting the handover could happen as late as 11pm, which is 8am AEDT.
