Former Gaza hostage Inbar Hayman was laid to rest in Petah Tikva on Friday after being returned during phase one of US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan.
Thousands of Israelis accompanied Hayman to her final resting place, President Isaac Herzog noted while eulogizing her.
“All of us here, so many of us, are here to accompany your noble, endlessly loving family along this most painful of paths, to finally grant you a place, a resting place, in the landscape of your homeland," he said.
"At this moment, as President of the State of Israel, I wish to ask you, and you, Inbar, and all our fallen hostages and their families, for forgiveness. Forgiveness that we were not there for you. Forgiveness that we could not save you. Forgiveness that it took us so very long to bring you back to us."
The Haifa resident was killed, then taken hostage by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, during the Nova festival massacre, according to the IDF.
Her remains were held by the terror organization for over two years.
Hayman was 27 years old when she was killed. Her death was confirmed to her family by Israeli authorities in December 2023. She is survived by her parents and one brother.
Following the release of almost all the female hostages held by Hamas during the November 2023 releases, Hayman was the only woman left in Hamas captivity for most of the war’s duration.
Upon her return from captivity, the military said that it could now reveal that Hayman had served as a commander in the IDF’s mixed-gender Caracal Battalion.
“Our Inbar, the salt of the earth, served as a commander in the Caracal Battalion for three years. We salute you and invite the entire public to join us in honoring you – a hero of Israel,” her family said in a statement shared through the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.