Slain hostage Yonatan Samerano laid to rest; Herzog: There can be no victory until all the hostages are home

Slain hostage Yonatan Samerano, whose body was recovered from Gaza earlier this week, is laid to rest in Tel Aviv.

The bodies of three slain hostages, Ofra Keidar, Samerano, and Staff Sgt. Shay Levinson, were recovered in a joint military and Shin Bet operation from the Gaza Strip on Sunday.

Hundreds gathered to bid farewell to Samerano, 22, who was attending the Nova music festival when the Hamas onslaught began. He fled to Be’eri with two friends, where they were murdered, and his body was abducted.

Among those eulogizing Samerano was President Isaac Herzog, who asked forgiveness for the state’s failures

“Forgiveness that the State of Israel did not protect you. Forgiveness that we did not manage to rescue you from the hands of the murderers. Forgiveness that it took so long to bring you back from the clutches of these human monsters,” Herzog says.

“At this turbulent and historic moment, I remind us all: there is no true and complete victory until the last of our hostages returns,” he says.