Hostage Reunited at Funeral in Jerusalem

On Wednesday, two hostages freed by Hamas gathered at a cemetery in Jerusalem to bid farewell to a fallen comrade.

Matan Angrest, who returned to Israel just two days prior, stood among hundreds of mourners at the freshly dug grave of Captain Daniel Peretz. He took a moment to remember his 22-year-old commander, praying for the safe return of fellow soldier Sgt. Itai Cheng, whose body is still missing in Gaza.

“It’s the least I can do for Daniel and the team that fought with me,” Angrest said, his voice steady despite his pale appearance. “I’m sure he’s still watching over me from heaven.”

Angrest, Peretz, and Cheng were all part of a tank crew taken during a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages. Angrest expressed hope that Cheng would return, saying, “I’m ready to go to Gaza to bring him back.”

According to the ceasefire agreement, Hamas is meant to return the bodies of the deceased hostages, yet as of Thursday, only 10 had been given back. This left many families in anguish, unable to perform a burial—an essential part of their faith.

“This is our duty to God. We take the bodies and return them to the land,” remarked Rabbi Benny Lau, a friend of the Peretz family. “The soul belongs to God, but the body is our responsibility.”

Importance of Burial

In Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, it is believed that a person’s soul lives on even after death. Unique to Judaism and Islam is the belief that the body should be cared for through cleansing rituals and buried promptly.

Sharon Laufer, a volunteer with the Jewish Burial Society, explained, “The soul is not complete until the body is buried in the ground. That’s why the soul is so important to us.” Normally, funerals would take place on the same day, but for the families of the Jewish hostages, ongoing negotiations mean this has yet to happen.

“We cannot close the chapter of these two years without returning all remains,” Lau stated.

While many celebrated the return of living hostages earlier this week, families felt a deep sense of betrayal when they were told the crisis was resolved, and that support symbols should be removed.

Itai Cheng, who was just 19 when he was taken, was preparing for his brother’s bar mitzvah that day. Over two years later, his body remains unaccounted for.

Ruby Chen, his father, reflected on the uncertainty, saying, “It’s a weird feeling to start your day expecting to get the worst phone call of your life and then feel disappointed when you don’t get that call.”

Others gathered in solidarity, like Shlomit Gruda, who stood on a bridge in Tel Aviv as a motorcade made its way to a different funeral. “I fought for them to come home. Just as I rejoiced for those who made it home alive, now is the time to bow to those who did not make it,” she declared.

Continued Grieving

For many families, the pain stretches far beyond the day of burial. Ella Haimi described how her husband Tal left their safe room during a Hamas attack to protect their kibbutz on October 7. Two months later, she learned he had likely been killed, with his body believed to be in Gaza.

Two nights passed without news of Tal’s remains, and Haimi stated she would endure whatever it took to give him a proper burial back home.

“I think he deserves this honor. He was the first to go. He knew I was alone with my children among the terrorists,” she said.

Healing After Loss

Experts highlight that closure is hard to attain until families can lay their loved ones to rest. Rabbi Mijael Even David noted the need for time to transition from doubt to acceptance.

Judaism prescribes mourning rituals that extend well beyond the funeral, offering both spiritual and psychological support for those left behind.

Dr. Einat Yehene, a psychologist focused on trauma, emphasized that healing begins only once all hostages return home.

At Peretz’s funeral, his sister Adina expressed the heartache of standing at his grave, yet found comfort in being closer to him than she had been in years. “We can finally rest in our sacred place,” she said.

After a heartfelt eulogy from various speakers, Shelly Peretz found solace in the fact that her son had finally returned to Israel on a significant Jewish holiday. “We welcome you home, where you belong,” she said prior to a midnight salute.