Buildings in major cities around the world were illuminated in orange light on Friday night and Saturday, in memory of slain hostages Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, who were murdered in captivity in Gaza after being taken hostage during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre.

The initiative was organized by the Foreign Ministry after their bodies were returned to Israel in recent days, and in total, 108 missions around the world worked to have their host countries participate.

Shiri and her two young sons, Ariel aged 4, and Kfir, just 9 months old, were abducted from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. The family’s father Yarden was snatched and held separately and was released on February 1 as part of the ceasefire and hostage release deal.

Hamas returned the bodies of Ariel and Kfir on Thursday but only handed over Shiri’s remains on Friday night, after first sending the body of an unknown Palestinian woman from Gaza.

While Hamas has insisted that the boys and their mother were killed in an Israeli strike in November 2023, Israel said that forensic examinations showed that the three were “brutally murdered” by their terrorist captors, who had killed Ariel and Kfir “with their bare hands.”

The color orange was chosen by the Foreign Ministry for the project as it has come to symbolize the plight of the young family over the past 16 months, due to the memorable bright orange hair of Ariel and Kfir.

Many buildings were lit up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, including the famous Obelisco, which featured an image of the entire family, which held Argentine citizenship.

Argentina’s President Javier Milei had previously declared two days of national mourning for Ariel and Kfir before Shiri’s fate was confirmed.

Across the border in Brazil, the massive Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro was illuminated in orange, as were buildings in Belgrade and Beijing. Italy’s Foreign Ministry in Rome took part as well.

Multiple locations around the United States were lit up, including the Transamerica Pyramid Center in San Fransisco and the Beverly Hills City Hall in Los Angeles.

In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that 14 landmarks would be lit up in honor of Ariel and Kfir, including One World Trade Center, the Empire State Plaza, and Niagara Falls.

“Our hearts are broken as we mourn Ariel and Kfir Bibas, who were brutally murdered by Hamas in acts of callous and unthinkable cruelty,” said Hochul.

Israeli embassy buildings around the world were also lit up, and in Yangon, Myanmar, orange banners reading “in memory of Bibas brothers” were hung from the side of the Israeli embassy. A similar banner was also displayed inside the country’s only synagogue.

Also in Beverly Hills, members of the Jewish community gathered together to release orange balloons into the sky in memory of the young family, and video footage posted online showed that a similar event was also held in Switzerland.