Thousands gathered on Monday at Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak cemetery to pay final respects to Lior Rudaeff, who was laid to rest more than two years after he was killed defending his community on October 7, 2023.
Earlier in the day, a funeral procession departed from the Shura Base and made its way to the cemetery. The procession was led by a hearse carrying Lior's coffin, accompanied by a convoy of Magen David Adom motorcycles and an ambulance donated in his memory, a tribute to Lior's years of dedicated service as an MDA volunteer and ambulance driver.
"It's a relief that you're receiving the dignified burial you deserve in the land you defended and fought for. I never prayed for this ending. Even after we received word that you were killed on that cursed Sabbath, my mind understood, but my heart refused to believe. They say time heals, but the longing only intensifies. You're home now. How proud you would be to see our children showing such strength in the struggle to bring you back. How much they resemble you, how much we miss you, Yafa Rudaeff, Lior's widow, said.
She prayed, "May we be the last in this nation's history to endure such pain. Yesterday, another painful and prolonged chapter closed with the return of Hadar Goldin. There's still a fight ahead to bring back four more hostages, and only then can we close this circle. Now I'm saying goodbye to you forever. You were the glue that held our family together. Thank you for 41 years together, through good times and bad. Your journey in this world ended far too soon, and I want to ask your forgiveness. Forgiveness that it took so long, and that we never truly said goodbye that morning."
Noam Katz Rudaeff, Lior's daughter, eulogized: "It's been more than two years since you've been here, but you're so present. You taught us to laugh at everything, even when it hurts, that it heals the soul. Still, every time thoughts of that morning creep in, I'm horrified by what you saw, what you endured. You found Oren and realized there was no way to save him, and then Tal was wounded, and you tried to save him again and again as dozens of armed terrorists closed in on you. Boaz ran toward you. I managed to see him and Ofek on their way to you. I truly hope you heard them and understood that you weren't alone. But you were alone, completely alone. The rage that this happened to you, that the state wasn't there, that the army that promised to be there within minutes... 763 days that they abandoned you. It was too long a journey, too painful, a journey with no good ending, but finally, it had an ending. Today, you're home where you belong, buried in the soil you went out to defend with your life. Life in its cruelty continues. You have a new granddaughter, Shay. She's feisty just like you. Today, we have the privilege of saying goodbye to you in your land, with your people, and we promise to keep fighting until the last one. Everyone must come home; there's no other option. Rest now, my father, rest finally after far too long."
Nadav, Lior's son, lamented: "Dad, how I miss your voice, how much I miss you. I miss you calling to scold me that we haven't spoken in a long time, I miss the hugs with your enormous hands, I miss our conversations, I miss so much more time with you. I remember you with a toothpick in your mouth and a huge smile, remember you beaming when your grandsons, Tomer and Dagan, came home. We fought for you, Dad. You wouldn't believe how far we went and what we did for you. We fought for you like you fought for us on that cursed day. You were always the first to leave and the last to return. I have so much to tell you, but that time will come. I hope you're somewhere driving a pickup truck with a dog in the back, listening at full volume to the music you love. I love you, Dad. I'm sorry I didn't tell you that enough."
Lior's son, Ben, remarked: "Dad. Two years and a month is a long time. I have so much to tell you, to ask, to share, to puzzle over. When will you send a message asking what I want to eat tonight? When will you call to check on me?"
He recounted, "I flew to Thailand, India, rode a motorcycle, and was sad the whole trip, that you're not here, that I can't talk to you, that you'll never come back. I returned to Israel after six months, and I'm sitting and thinking what to do, and I don't feel mature enough to face the world, Dad. In what world did you have to sacrifice your life this way? In what world do they bury you after two years? Who would have believed we'd have to fight to bring you back?"
Ben added: "Yesterday they returned Hadar Goldin, Dad, and there are still four more we'll bring back soon. I'm sorry I wasn't here that morning. You were my safe place for 23 years, and since then, I feel a bit lost, but I know that I'm not giving up. I'm taking care of myself and surrounding myself with good people. You're with me in every step, every breath, and in my dreams at night. I love you, Dad. I'll come visit you often."