A heartbreaking funeral attended by hundreds for an Israeli family of five killed by Hamas

A memorial service with hundreds of mourners was held for a family of five slain by Hamas terrorists, whose corpses were found in each other’s arms. The family was buried together.

The Kotz family, a couple and their three children who were shot dead in their house at kibbutz Kfar Azza on October 7 during the Hamas assault of southern Israel, received parting greetings from relatives and friends on Tuesday. They were buried next to one another at a cemetery 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Jerusalem.

A family member said that Aviv and Livnat Kotz, their daughter Rotem, and sons Yonatan and Yiftach were discovered dead on a bed, hugging one other. Adi Levy Salma, the sister of his wife, told the Israeli news source Ynet that the family had relocated to Israel from Boston and had constructed the house in the kibbutz where Aviv had grown up four years before. We warned her that it was risky, but Levy Salma replied that she refused to go since it had been her home all of her life.

The funeral was one of several conducted, with Israel simultaneously in a state of war and grief. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 3,400 Palestinians have died. Funerals there have become a regular occurrence, with men racing through the streets carrying remains covered in white sheets while yelling “Allahu akbar,” which is Arabic for “God is great.”

Shiraz Tamam, an Israeli lady who was among at least 260 people killed after heavily armed extremists attacked an electronic music event, was said to have gone by heartbroken family members and friends in Israel.

In preparation for Tamam’s corpse being buried at a cemetery in Holon, in central Israel, mourners, many of them were dressed in black tops, sobbed and comforted one another.

In Israel, more than 1,400 people have died, many of them are yet unidentified. As the country struggles to recover from the trauma of the strikes, which revealed apparent flaws in a defensive system some believed unbreakable, funerals may last days or longer.

On the morning of the strikes, rockets and air raid sirens woke up many homes. Adi Levy Salma said that her family immediately went to their safe room at their Gedera house, and that she contacted her sister to check on her well-being.

However, Livnat Kotz did not respond and did not return calls. When Levy Salma’s niece Rotem didn’t answer, she became more worried.

Then, according to Levy Salma, “we started hearing reports of terrorists infiltrating the kibbutz.” “We were aware that something horrible had occurred at that point. However, they didn’t respond when their friends and neighbors did. We were quite alarmed.

At the funeral for the Kotz family, both troops and citizens mourned. Flowers were heaped high on the graves. Livnat passed just a week before turning 50, according to her sister. She aimed to spread awareness of vintage crafts and bring them into the educational system. According to Kafrit Industries, a producer of plastics, her spouse was a vice president.

In the Israeli Defense Forces, Rotem served as an instructor of military instruction. At the Hapoel Tel Aviv Youth Academy, the lads participated in basketball. Amazing kids with huge hearts, stated Levy Salma. “Their entire lives lay before them.”