Freed Israeli hostage Yarden Bibas, whose wife and two sons were killed in captivity in Gaza, has apologised for being unable to protect his family during Hamas’s October 2023 attack.

“Shiri, I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you all,” he said in his eulogy at the funeral of his wife, Shiri, and two sons - Kfir and Ariel - at a cemetery near kibbutz Nir Oz, from where the four were seized by Palestinian militants during the attack.

Hamas handed over the remains of Shiri and the two children last week as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel, while Yarden Bibas was freed earlier this month. At just nine months and four years old, the two boys were the youngest people taken hostage by the terrorists.

On Wednesday, tens of thousands of Israelis lined the side of the funeral procession route, waving flags and holding signs saying “forgive us”.

Hundreds of motorcycles, each with an Israeli flag and orange ribbons, rode solemnly behind the convoy. In Tel Aviv, thousands gathered to watch a televised broadcast of the eulogies, many dressed in orange as a symbol of their respect for the children – who had ginger hair.