Copyright ynetnews
Kibbutz Be’eri bid farewell Monday afternoon to Yossi Sharabi, who was abducted from his home by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, and murdered while held captive in Gaza. His remains were returned to Israel about two weeks ago. Seven hundred fifty-two days after his abduction, hundreds of mourners gathered in Be’eri to accompany him to his final resting place. His brother Eli, who was released after 491 days in Hamas captivity, recited the Kaddish prayer. The funeral, held under clear skies in the southern kibbutz, drew family members, friends, and national leaders. President Isaac Herzog, Sharabi’s wife Nira, and their daughters Yuval and Ofir spoke, followed by Ofir Engel, Yuval’s partner who was held captive with Yossi, and his siblings Osnat, Eli, and Sharon. Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the hardest-hit communities in the Hamas terrorist assault on southern Israel, lost 101 civilians, including elderly residents and children. Thirty-one security personnel were also killed, among them 18 soldiers, five members of the kibbutz emergency squad, and eight police officers. Another 32 people were taken hostage to Gaza, including 30 residents and two civilians who had fled the Nova music festival. More than 120 homes in the kibbutz were damaged or destroyed. 'Two years I haven’t breathed' Sharabi’s wife, Nira, opened the funeral with a trembling voice, describing two years of pain and longing. “I go to sleep alone, I wake up alone. You were our shield, taking on everything I couldn’t. Now I must take it on, and you’re missing so much,” she said. She spoke of their love and of learning to let go while promising to keep his memory alive through their daughters. Her remarks were followed by heartfelt eulogies from her daughters. Yuval, Yossi’s eldest, said she felt she could “finally breathe” now that her father had returned home, though not in the way she had hoped. Writing her words from Koh Samui, one of his favorite places, she spoke about how she had tried to honor his legacy through community service, her upcoming army enlistment, and plans to travel the world as he once did. She shared a story from captivity — how Hamas terrorists asked her father if he approved of her marriage to Ofir Engel, and he had said yes. “When I marry Ofir, I’ll do it with a calm heart,” she said, “because I know I have your blessing.” Her sister Ofir described her struggle with grief and the small rituals that defined her father’s care. “You waited every night in the living room until we came home, kissed us, and only then locked the door,” she said. “But this time, you never came home.” She remembered the last time she saw him, as Hamas terrorists separated them, his eyes full of calm. “You were brave even when you didn’t mean to be,” she said. “I’m still waiting for you in my dreams.” Engel: 'You held us together even in hell' Ofir Engel, Yuval’s partner and a survivor of captivity with Yossi, spoke of the bond the two men shared during two months imprisoned together in Gaza. “From the moment they told us you’d been identified, I couldn’t speak,” he said. “For two months we were shut in a small room, hungry and terrified, and you took care of me. You shared the little food we had. You talked about your daughters, about the sea, about how you missed surfing. Even in that darkness, you were full of love and hope.” Engel recalled that Yossi had written a farewell letter to his family on the day Hamas threatened to execute them — a letter he never got to read. “I’m sorry I never saw it,” he said. “I wish I could have shared your words with Nira and the girls.” He said Yossi’s strength helped others survive. “You kept us calm even when we had no strength left,” Engel said. “From the moment we were separated, I waited for you to come back. Not like this — but after 700 days of burning wait, the circle has closed. Something of you will always stay with me.” Herzog: 'It took far too long to bring him home' President Isaac Herzog opened his remarks with a message of sorrow and accountability. “Dear, beloved Yossi, today we accompany you to your eternal rest — at last, your eternal rest — in the soil you so loved, in the landscape of your homeland,” he said. “I did not have the privilege of knowing you, but from Nira, from your heroic siblings, from your family and your friends in Be’eri, I heard again and again what a remarkable man we lost — a man of warmth and generosity, a wonderful father, a loving husband, a devoted brother, a true friend, a mensch.” Herzog asked forgiveness on behalf of the state and its people. “Forgive us, Yossi, for not saving you, for not bringing you home sooner. Forgive us for failing to protect you on that accursed day. Forgive us that it took so long to bring you back to your homeland,” he said. He praised the Sharabi family and the Be’eri community for their resilience. “Your community is a true beacon for all of us,” Herzog said. “The goodness, courage, and grace that shone from Yossi — the warmth and sweetness — will remain with us always.” 'A man of generosity, humility, and connection to people' Sharabi was abducted from his home along with his brother Eli and Ofir Engel, Yuval’s partner. Eli was released in an earlier hostage exchange, and Engel returned home after 54 days in captivity. On the 97th day after the abduction, Jan. 10, 2024, the family was informed that Yossi had been murdered by Hamas terrorists while in captivity. He is survived by his wife Nira and their three daughters — Yuval, Ofir, and Oren. In the same Oct. 7 attack, his nieces Noya and Yahal, Eli’s daughters, and his sister-in-law Lian were murdered. After Yossi’s remains were returned earlier this month, Eli said: “Last night my circle closed. After Alon Ohel, who was with me in captivity, came home — Yossi, too, has finally returned for a proper burial in Israel. Thank you for the endless support and love from this incredible people, and to everyone who helped make this happen at last. We will not stop until every fallen person is brought home.” According to the IDF, Sharabi was killed when the building in Gaza where he was held collapsed following a nearby Israeli airstrike. Also held there were Itay Svirsky of Be’eri, who was murdered by Hamas a few days later, and Noa Argamani, who was abducted from the Nova music festival and later rescued alive by Israeli forces from the Nuseirat refugee camp. Members of Kibbutz Be’eri, where Sharabi had lived for more than 20 years, described him as “a man of generosity, humility, and connection to people.” In a statement, the kibbutz said Sharabi quickly became an inseparable part of the community and radiated calm, responsibility, and kindness wherever he went — at work, at home, or while volunteering. “He was a man who loved simplicity, who could fix anything around the house, and above all, who was always there for his family,” the statement said. Friends added that Sharabi was “a man of nature and the sea, with a wide smile and a unique sense of humor.” “He loved hiking, surfing, and spending quality time with his daughters,” they said. “In nature he found peace and connection — to himself and to the world around him. At the Be’eri printing house he was one of the pillars — dedicated, honest, always striving to improve and to care for others. Today we part from a dear friend, a model husband and father, who touched the heart of us all.”
