'Babies, mom did nothing to world'

Thousands of mourners, carrying flags and orange balloons, yesterday joined the funeral procession for Shiri Bibas and her two sons, who were killed in Gaza captivity and had become symbols of Israel's hostage ordeal.

- Rishon LeZion

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