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As Michel Illouz carefully navigated through the masses beneath the tall evergreens and date palms at the cemetery in Ra'anana, a city located 13 miles north of Tel Aviv, he showed appreciation to countless visitors as he could.

Earlier he provided an open call to the nation's citizens to join his family in honoring the memory of his young adult son, Guy, whose physical form had been repatriated from Gaza on Monday.

Overwhelming Response

Countless individuals heeded the request. They lined the streets, processed behind the coffin transport carrying his mortal coil, and converged on the cemetery in such significant numbers that the primary scheme to stage the service indoors had to be discarded.

Instead, the ceremony was conducted outdoors, accompanied by the sound of birdsong.

Important Moment

This marked the initial burial ceremony since the last two dozen captives came back from Gaza, accompanied by multiple remains. Additional twenty-one of the fallen captives remain missing, but at least this household now had a designated location to grieve and commemorate their son, according to friends.

Heartbreaking Narrative

Guy Illouz, a performer and audio engineer, had been struck from behind at the Nova music festival during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Before the tragedy unfolded, he had contacted his father from a sheltered spot to express his love; to offer final words. He was taken hostage, and according to those captured simultaneously, he later died from his injuries due to medical neglect.

Loved One's Insight

A family friend of the Illouz family, Michelle, in her fifth decade, mentioned that it had been crucial to them that individuals came today. The Illouz relatives, including Guy's siblings and male sibling, had observed shiva, the seven-day period of mourning, after discovering of his demise in December of the year before. But now that Guy was finally back with them, they needed "people around them again."

"It warms my heart that you came," said Michel. "This means everything to us."

Dad's Eulogy

He addressed his son. "My Guy-shuk," he expressed, using a term of endearment, "it's hard for me to imagine the time to come without you. They grabbed you from me – they ended your life – they stole my being and took my sense of self and killed my inner being and emotional core."

"I feel empty inside since that pointless violence by those vicious attackers when they seized you and commanded you to turn around, and then merely shot two gratuitous rounds into your back."

Final Goodbye

"And here I am this morning, heading toward Abu Kabir medical examiner's office to identify you and part ways. They removed the white sheet, and the primary view I noticed was that smile of yours, that positive outlook, that calm demeanor and grace that so exemplified you."

"I touched you, tried to smell you, caressed every bone in your body. I observed you, I was by myself with you, and yes, I felt with absolute certainty that it was you. Yes, I know, Guy-shuk, that you've come back home. You've returned to your loved ones' arms, to all your friends, and to the numerous individuals whose hearts your story impacted."

Family Strength

In the beginning phase of the service, Illouz had concentrated completely on consoling his junior family members. He gently touched the locks of his daughters, embraced his boy, kissed his neck and composed himself for them. But then his feelings emerged.

Precious Moments

"I'll miss so much traveling with you through this nation, feeling you, enjoying your artistic creations, sitting in the hills and igniting the flame to create the drink the way only you mastered – 'Dad, do you see the coffee froth? You have to heat it slowly, let the lather develop, then boil it again. Mix the beverage with spinning actions' – and then your expression while enjoying the drink and your pleasure in every individual sip."

"Earlier than my exit Abu Kabir today, I honored my word. I observed you, breathed you in one final moment, and yes, I planted a kiss on the brow. I was managed to observe your beauty even in the condition in which you were repatriated."

Closing Statement

"My dear son, I adore you completely, I cherish you. I will yearn for you every second and brief period of my existence. Find peace, my beloved son, repose after a journey of two years through worlds unknown to us. I love you, my Guy-shuk, my treasured initial offspring."