World media focused its coverage on the heart-wrenching funeral of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, with Argentine outlets highlighting their citizenship while European publications condemned Hamas' actions in returning the bodies.
This difficult morning, when an entire nation grieved the death of the Bibas family and many Israelis gave an extra hug to their children before school, captured significant attention from international media. News outlets worldwide, which had followed the kidnapping story of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas from the beginning, now covered its tragic conclusion with their burial.
German newspaper Bild featured a photo of the entire family including father Yarden Bibas alongside images of crowds lining the streets for the funeral procession under the headline "An entire country cries." Their prominently positioned homepage article stated, "Thousands attend the funeral: Israel mourns Shiri Bibas and her young sons." The coverage described Israel's national grief while condemning what they called Hamas' "horror show" during the return of the murdered hostages' bodies. Bild also reported on Hamas initially sending a misidentified body, writing, "The terrorists placed a fake body in Shiri's coffin. Only later did they release the correct body."
French newspaper Le Monde featured a homepage article stating, "Israel pays tribute to the Bibas family, former hostages killed in Gaza. Thousands of people gathered Wednesday morning along roads across the country to greet the passing funeral procession carrying the remains of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, who became a symbol of the hostage tragedy and were killed in captivity in Gaza."
Italian media provided extensive coverage, with the website La Repubblica and newspaper Corriere della Sera both livestreaming the funeral procession. Corriere della Sera captioned their coverage with "Thousands of people at the funeral of Shiri Bibas and her two sons."
British newspaper Daily Mail published photos of the Bibas family and their funeral procession with the headline, "A nation weeps: Thousands of Israelis line the streets for the funeral procession of hostages Shiri Bibas and her young sons after they were returned from Gaza." Their article continued, "Thousands of mourners, carrying flags and orange balloons, gathered Wednesday for the funeral procession of Shiri Bibas and her sons, who were killed in Gaza captivity and became a symbol of Israel's hostage ordeal. 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 more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza. Israel's national anthem played 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 were prepared for burial."
Argentine newspaper La Nación gave the story a prominent homepage placement, featuring a photo of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas. Their headline emphasized the family's Argentine citizenship: "Hamas hostages. The remains of Argentinians Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas who were Hamas hostages are laid to rest in Israel."
Fox News dedicated significant homepage space to the funeral, with a live coverage banner stating, "LIVE: Israel mourns as mother and young sons murdered by terrorists are laid to rest." Their livestream was accompanied by a link to a related article titled "A nation shattered by the kidnapping and brutal murder of a family."
The international coverage reflected the global significance of the Bibas family's story, which has become emblematic of the broader hostage crisis following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.
