NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - South Floridians came together to pay tribute to an Israeli family that was taken hostage and killed at the hands of Hamas.
North Miami Beach city officials held a candlelight memorial to honor the Bibas family. They include 4-year-old Ariel, 9-month-old Kfir, their mother Shiri and 85-year-old Oded Lifshitz, a peace activist.
“Oded Lifshitz, who survived the clutches of the Nazis, but did not survive the clutches of Hamas,” said a rabbi.
The city held Wednesday’s event in partnership with the organization Holocaust Heroes Worldwide outside the city’s police department, joining other global events remembering the victims.
The color orange was seen throughout the event, from the candles to the balloons, to honor the lives taken too soon.
“This is a hard time for the Jewish people,” said Moran Alfasi, founder of Holocaust Heroes Worldwide.
More than 100 people gathered to light candles and to send letters of support.
“They were brutally murdered by Hamas,” said Alfasi. “We have the right to know and hope for a better future for our kids, and the future that we’re speaking about is the future of not having missiles over our heads all the time.”
A distant family member of Shiri also spoke in front of the mourners and mentioned Shiri’s husband, Yarden.
“I stand here before you humbled and with no words,” she said. “Today is a difficult day for all of us. The outpouring of love from the whole world is something that hopefully will help Yarden.”
Over in Israel, officials marked the funeral for the Bibas family. Thousands gathered to honor those young lives.
Yarden, who was also taken hostage on Oct. 7 but was released in a handover last month, spoke in front of thousands of people who said goodbye to his young family.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you all. If only I had known what would have happened, I wouldn’t have fought,” he said.
Kfir was the youngest of about 30 children taken hostage. The picture of the red-haired baby and his toothless smile soon became well-known across Israel.
Israeli officials said Shiri and her sons were strangled a month after being taken hostage.
Their bodies were handed over last week as part of a ceasefire deal that paused the Israel-Hamas war.
“I want to ask for forgiveness on behalf of our leadership and military who weren’t there for you that day, and who took so long to bring you back to your homeland,” said Shiri’s sister, Dana Silberman Sitton.
Strangers at the funeral and family members said they don’t want this to ever happen to their country again.
“Our disaster as a nation, and as a family, should have not happened and must never happen again,” said Yarden’s sister, Ofri Bibas Levy.
An Israeli security official said Hamas handed over four additional hostages on Wednesday evening. The news came just days before the first phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is set to end.
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