Berlin's Brandenburg Gate lit up to honour Bibas hostages in Israel
Berlin's Brandenburg Gate was lit up orange on Wednesday evening to mark the funeral of Israeli hostages Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, who held German citizenship.
Shiri and her sons, Ariel and Kfir, who were killed while held hostage by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, were buried in Israel on Wednesday.
The landmark in the German capital was illuminated with the words "Never Forget" and "Bring Them Home Now."
Ariel was only 4 years old and Kfir just 9 months old when they were abducted during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks.
Video footage of the frightened mother with her two red-haired sons during their abduction was seen around the world and the family became symbols of the unprecedented massacre which triggered the Gaza war.
Shiri's body was handed over to Israel by Hamas on Friday, one day after the remains of her children. The coffin that Hamas initially gave to the Red Cross alongside the children contained the body of another, unknown woman.
The mix-up - whether deliberate or accidental - caused great outrage in Israel.
Following a forensic examination of the bodies, the military announced that the two children had been brutally murdered by the kidnappers in November 2023. Hamas, on the other hand, said they were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Tens of thousands of people took part in a public funeral march for the three Hamas victims in Israel on Wednesday, local media reported. Many people brought orange balloons in memory of the two red-haired boys.
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