Guy Illouz, a 26-year-old sound technician from Ra'anana who was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from the Nova music festival on October 7 and murdered in captivity, was laid to rest on Wednesday after his body was returned to Israel for burial.
Guy, who worked with some of Israel's most prominent musicians, including HaYehudim, Matti Caspi, and Shalom Hanoch, was widely beloved for his kindness, optimism, and dedication to spreading joy through music.
His father, Michel Illouz, eulogized: "My Guyshuk, my beloved firstborn son, how does one eulogize a son, a beloved child?"
Michel shared a message from Guy's close friend Reznik, who described the ongoing difficulty of processing his death: "Emotionally, my mind refuses to process this thing... I'm certain that when things settle for me, making Guy’s memory eternal will be my life's mission."
"They snatched you from me-they murdered you-they kidnapped me and stole my identity and murdered my soul and heart," Michel said, recalling the moment terrorists shot his son and took him captive.
Michel recounted the visit to the Israeli Forensic Institute, where he identified his son. "They removed the white sheet, and the first thing I saw was that smile of yours, that optimism, that serenity and nobility that so characterized you."
He described how he caressed his son, held him, and felt a profound certainty: "Yes, I know, Guyshuk, that you've returned to us. You've returned to your family's embrace, to all your friends, and to the millions of citizens whose hearts your story touched."
Remembering Guy's love for Israel's landscape and simple pleasures, Michel painted a vivid picture of their time together: "I'll miss so much traveling with you through this land, feeling you, hearing your music, sitting in the hills and lighting the burner to make coffee the way only you knew how."
Michel also thanked Maya Regev, the released hostage who spent Guy's final days with him in captivity. "We were blessed to have you there," he said, calling her presence a gift greater than anything Guy had hoped for.
According to Regev, Guy was unconscious and tied to a hospital bed for a week before she joined him. He spoke lovingly of his mother, saying she was "the strongest woman in the world" and that upon returning home, he would hug her and never let go.
"My Guyshuk, I love you so much. I will miss you every second and minute of my life," Michel concluded. "Rest now, my sweet one, rest after a journey of two years through worlds unknown to us."
Guy is survived by his parents, Michel and Doris, and his siblings Maya and Ori.