‘You loved freedom – and they took it from you,’ mourns widow of Alex Lobanov at funeral
Thousands across the country attend the funerals of four of the six hostages murdered by Hamas in Rafah, after their bodies were recovered by the IDF overnight Saturday
Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter
Thousands of mourners gathered at the New Cemetery in Ashkelon on Sunday evening for the funeral of Alex Lobanov, one of the six hostages murdered by Hamas several days ago whose bodies were recovered from Gaza by the IDF overnight Saturday-to-Sunday.
Lobanov’s wife Michal, who gave birth to the couple’s second child while he was in captivity, wept for her slain husband. She eulogized him as someone who loved life and freedom, and promised to raise their children in accordance with the values he lived by.
Lobanov’s funeral was one of four held Sunday evening for the hostages murdered by Hamas some three days ago, including the funerals for Almog Sarusi, Ori Danino, and Eden Yerushalmi.
In Ashkelon, droves of mourners walked somberly along the approach road to the cemetery amid a sea of Israeli flags, with hundreds of cramming into the eulogy hall and many more listening to the eulogies from outside.
Lobanov, 32, was the head barman at the Supernova desert party where Hamas terrorists slaughtered 360 revelers in the early hours of the October 7 massacre and abducted another 40.
Michal described Alex “the best father and the best husband” in the world and, weeping bitterly in front of his shrouded body, requested his forgiveness for failing to bring him home alive.
“Love of my life… it is really true that God takes the best,” she cried.
“I want to focus on your love of others, your love of life and freedom, a freedom that was taken from you on October 7 by those despicable people,” she continued in her tearful eulogy that brought many of the thousands of mourners at the funeral to tears as well.
“You were the best father in the world, the best person that I knew… Thank you for the merit of being a mother and being your wife.
“[I’m] sorry for not succeeding in bringing you back. I’m sorry I let you go to that accursed party. I should have insisted that you stay at home and not go. I’m sorry I didn’t insist, I’m sorry I didn’t manage to bring you back alive.”
She promised to raise their two children with Alex’s “values and ethics” and said that he would be “our one and only hero.”
“Please come to me in [my] dreams, send me signs. Rest my sweetheart, now you can rest… You left here many people who love you… Please send me strength, I will be yours forever and ever until we meet again.”
Thousands of additional mourners attended the funerals of the three other slain hostages brought to their final resting places on Sunday evening.
Almog Sarusi, 27 who was kidnapped from the Supernova party, was laid to rest in Raanana, by his parents and three siblings.
“My dear son, my beloved. How much did we pray to hug you, to see your smile,” cried his mother Nira, who also leveled heavy criticism at the government over the murder of her son, Ynet reported.
“I hoped to see you happy, surrounded by family and friends, but you were abandoned day by day. You were abandoned on the altar of destroying Hamas, the Philadelphi corridor, Rafah…
“If only we would be the last. We need a deal now to free the hostages.”
At Ori Danino’s funeral on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, his brother Aharon asked how he could smile again after Ori’s murder.
Danino, 25, was also kidnapped from the Supernova festival after helping numerous people escape in his car and going back to the scene one last time to try and help others escape as well.
“In the last 330 days, I didn’t find any reason to smile. I didn’t find anything to hold onto or anyone to trust, apart from God. You were the pillar of the home, of your friends, and of myself,” said Aharon, Ynet reported from the funeral.
“You always ensured that I would feel protected, safe — that no matter what, you would always be there to help and protect.”
Thousands of other mourners attended the funeral of Eden Yerushalmi, at the Yarkon Cemetery in Petah Tikva, who, like Lobanov, Sarusi, and Danino, was also abducted from the Supernova festival.
“Eden, my beloved. Eleven months you survived in Hamas captivity… So many people wanted to get to know you. But not like this” said her mother, Shirit, at the funeral, Maariv reported.
“I will miss our meetings on the balcony. You were not just my daughter, you were my best friend. I waited 330 days for you to return. I was ready to wait another 330 days for you to come back alive.”
