Hundreds gathered on Monday afternoon in the Kfar Ma'as cemetery to pay final respects to Idan Shtivi, who was murdered in the October 7th Massacre and whose body was taken by Hamas terrorists from Gaza and recovered by the IDF and Shin Bet last week. At 5:00 p.m. (Israel time), Ilan Weiss, whose body was recovered with Idan's, will be laid to rest.
The funeral procession left Rishon Lezion and passed several locations where a large number of citizens paid their final respects to Idan.
Idan's mother, Dalit Oron, parted from her son: On September 27th, 2023, a month after my birthday and ten days before his abduction, Idan sent me greetings for my birthday. On my birthday this year, August 28th, 2025, Idan was recovered and returned to Israel; he returned to me. That is the Godly connection between us. A mother and son.
"This space, this large hole in my heart, it is the pain of a missing limb. Longing and tears accompany me at every moment. The phone call from him in the morning, the food that he liked that I made for him, a song that he liked, our deep conversations on the porch, and the phone call at the end of the day. A pure heart. He always saw others and cared for the weak. Full of giving. So sensitive and loving."
"It wasn't easy for Idan. He went through a long process and got to a good place," she recounted. "He loved his studies at Reichman, a good relationship, and personal achievements that finally gave him some peace of mind. But not really. Idan was taken from the world at his peak.
"Idani, you are G-d's child. At a higher level of connection. Thank you for giving me 28 years of love and development. Thank you for the privilege. And sorry, my love, sorry that I couldn't protect and defend you this time," she concluded.
His father, Eli, eulogized: "My Idan, you were the strongest man in Israel, a powerful and brave man. You fought terrorists and gave your life to save others, even when they shot you in the back, because what's more holy than saving the lives of Jews, in fire and water? Even when you stood before total evil, you taught us that there was nothing else. I believed that you were alive. I didn't want to recite the Kaddish because to me, you were alive, not only in memory, but in the highest place, next to G-d's throne."
He shared: "I asked G-d yesterday what happened to my daily prayers. I began to put on tefillin on October 8th. In my prayers, I begged that Idan would come home healthy and smiling. Did my prayers go to waste? They did not disappear; all my prayers went to the other hostages in Gaza, for them all to come home soon."
