Mourners lay slain hostages Amiram Cooper, Sahar Baruch to rest in southern Israel

Slain hostages Amiram Cooper, 84, and Sahar Baruch, 25, were laid to rest on Sunday in their homes of Nir Oz and Be’eri, respectively, after their bodies were returned to Israel last week.

In the morning, hundreds attended Cooper’s funeral in southern Israel, gathering around his coffin draped in a white flag bearing the logo of Kibbutz Nir Oz, which he helped found seven decades ago.

Amiram’s wife, Nurit Cooper — who was also taken captive in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre — eulogized her late husband, recalling the time they spent together in captivity.

“Even in the tunnels we were together — we shared a mattress and the little food we received and hoped to return alive,” she said. Nurit was released by Hamas in a humanitarian gesture alongside fellow Nir Oz resident Yocheved Lifshitz, weeks after being taken hostage.

Nurit, who came to Kibbutz Nir Oz at age 18, recounted hearing about Cooper as “a guy who writes poems and whistles melodies,” before the two officially met. “I loved his poems…. Later we met, fell in love, and started a family,” she said.

“This is a great loss for all of us. Life without him is lonely. I miss you so much, and I love you dearly,” she lamented.

President Isaac Herzog also attended the funeral and paid tribute to Cooper, asking forgiveness on behalf of the state for failing to save his life.

“I stand here today with my head bowed to ask of you, Amiram, forgiveness,” Herzog said. “I’m sorry, Amiram, that we didn’t manage to rescue you in time from the jaws of captivity. Sorry that it took us far too long to bring you back to the landscape of your homeland. Sorry that you were captured while still alive, and that you return to us only to be buried in the ground.”

He also apologized to the community of Nir Oz that the state failed to protect them on October 7: “I’m sorry that we weren’t here in a time of danger, sorry that in the face of human monsters, you stood with bare hands to protect yourselves and your home,” he continued.

Speaking at the funeral, Cooper’s son, Rotem, said his parents were “kidnapped by despicable murderers and abandoned by small and cowardly leaders.”

He asked for his father’s forgiveness “for our collective failure, from the prime minister of Israel down to its last citizen, to free you and your fellow captives in time.”

“This story, Dad, could and should have ended differently, and for that there can be no atonement,” he said.

Cooper was taken hostage from his home together with his wife, Nurit. He was seen in a Hamas propaganda video in December 2023. In June 2024, the army announced that he was killed in captivity in the Khan Younis area, likely in December, together with hostages Haim Peri, Nadav Popplewell, and Yoram Metzger, as the IDF was operating in the area.

His body was finally returned to Israel on Thursday. In addition to Nurit, he is survived by their children Rotem, Ravit, and Srulik, and nine grandchildren.

‘Not enough memories together’

Baruch was laid to rest in Kibbutz Be’eri on Sunday afternoon, in the presence of hundreds of mourners. The 25-year-old was buried next to his brother, Edan Baruch, 20, an off-duty IDF soldier who was murdered by Hamas terrorists during the October 7, 2023, massacre.

Eulogizing her son, Baruch’s mother, Tami, said that the “terrible trauma” of October 7 “will always be etched in our hearts.”

She lamented that after two years of captivity in Gaza, being a hostage became part of her son’s identity.

“Before that, you had many other identities, such as a traveler, chess player, kayaker, scholar, nerd, steel mechanic, and much more,” she said.

“I had hoped for you that there would be new identities, like the electrical engineer you wanted to be, a boyfriend, a father, and so much more, but that will no longer happen,” she continued. “We have many memories, but not enough memories together.”

Baruch studied engineering at Ben-Gurion University. He hid with his brother, Edan, in their home’s safe room on October 7, but the two fled the house after Hamas terrorists set it on fire.

Sahar was kidnapped while searching for his brother’s inhaler, while Edan was fatally shot after exiting the safe room. Their grandmother, Geula, was killed separately in Be’eri during the onslaught.

In January 2024, the IDF announced that Baruch had been killed in a failed rescue operation inside Gaza.