Hundreds of people gathered to accompany Idan Shtivi during his funeral procession in Tel Aviv on Monday.
His death was originally announced by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in October 2024. His remains were recovered along with another slain hostage, Ilan Weiss, whose return to Israel was announced by the IDF on Friday.
During her last goodbye, Shtivi’s mother, Dalit, said: “On my birthday, he was recovered and returned to me – I’m sorry I didn’t take care of you.”
On October 7, he arrived at the Nova festival site to take photos of his friends, who were conducting workshops there. When the attacks began, Shtivi helped two people escape before he was kidnapped.
Shtivi, 28 at the time of his death, is survived by his parents, Eli and Dalit, three siblings, and his partner, Stav Levy.
Family's last goodbye to Shtivi
His siblings also paid tribute to him. “Who would have thought that I would have to bury you, my big brother?” his younger sister, Hila, pleaded. His older sister Ilan asked that her brother’s voice be carried worldwide. “Thanks to you, we will continue to choose unity rather than division. We will continue to believe that a peaceful future can be built here.”
After his sisters spoke, the slain hostage’s girlfriend, Stav, shared remarks. “My Bobo, the love of my life. How do we begin to talk about you? How do we begin to say goodbye to you?”
She described all the moments she had planned to experience with him and the opportunities robbed from the young couple.
“Your mother told me that you planned to propose to me, and my heart broke,” Stav said. “All our dreams will not come true, not in this lifetime. I say yes to you. Yes to love, to the choice to love you every day anew forever.”