Israel: emotion in the funeral procession of a victim of October 7 after the delivery of his remains by Hamas

Dozens of people participated this Wednesday, October 15, in the funeral procession of Israeli Guy Illouz, kidnapped on October 7, 2023 by Hamas and whose remains were returned on Monday thanks to the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The procession, which began in front of the Rishon Lezion morgue, in central Israel, headed to the Raanana cemetery, further north, where the young man resided with his family and will be buried.

“Our life, between tears and joy”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry I couldn’t save you!” “Says Amira, a sixty-year-old woman, who accompanies with folded hands the procession that accompanies the coffin, covered with an Israeli flag. “I came to express my sadness,” she confesses, adding that “it is important that the family has a grave to cry, talk and cry for their son.”

Among the participants, many expressed mixed feelings, like Viki Lavi, who spoke of “our life, between tears and joy.” He told AFP that he had come to support the deceased’s father, Michel Illouz, who “continued to support the families of the living hostages” even though he knew his son was dead.

Guy Illouz, a 26-year-old guitarist, worked as a sound recordist for prominent Israeli musicians. On October 7, 2023, the day of Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel, he came to dance at the Nova open-air music festival, organized in the Reïm forest, near the Gaza Strip.

He died in captivity two months after his kidnapping.

In this vast area of ​​the Negev, Hamas attackers massacred a total of at least 370 people, according to Israeli data. Guy Illouz attempted to escape the attackers in his jeep before taking shelter in a tree. But he will be kidnapped, like 43 other people present at this festival.

In total, 251 hostages will be taken to Gaza. Guy Illouz’s death in captivity will be announced in December 2023. He is among the first four deceased hostages that Hamas returned this Monday, October 13.

The agreement reached after pressure from US President Donald Trump, provided for the release of all hostages, alive and dead, within 72 hours after the truce came into effect on October 10, that is, Monday at 9 a.m. GMT (11 a.m. in Paris).

In exchange for the return of the 20 hostages alive, Israel released almost 2,000 Palestinian detainees. The first four remains were returned on Monday, followed by another four on Tuesday, one of which was not that of a hostage claimed by Israel.