Inbar Haiman, who was taken hostage from the Nova festival on October 7 and whose body was returned to Israel from Gaza on Wednesday, was laid to rest Friday afternoon at the Yarkon Cemetery in central Israel’s Petah Tikva.
In December 2023, the IDF informed the Haiman family that Inbar had been killed during the October 7 attack. She was 27 years old. On Wednesday, her body was returned to Israel along with the body of Muhammad al-Atrash.
Hundreds of people, all dressed in pink at the family’s request, accompanied Haiman’s casket. Representatives from the government attended the funeral, as did President Isaac Herzog, who delivered a eulogy together with his wife, Michal.
Yifat Haiman, Inbar’s mother, eulogized her daughter in a trembling voice. “I never believed, my beautiful girl, that after two years you would finally come back to us,” she said.
Yifat Haiman at the funeral of her daughter, Inbar, Friday. Credit: Paulina Patimer
Yifat Haiman at the funeral of her daughter, Inbar, Friday. Credit: Paulina Patimer
“You simply waited for all the Nova people to come, and you were the last,” she said.
Haiman spoke about their relationship, saying they used to drink coffee together without their phones. “You told me this was ‘mom time,’ and we shared our deepest secrets with each other,” she said, adding, “You’re my daughter, and also my best friend.”
“How does a mother bury her daughter, whom she loves so much?” she asked. “A child [full] of color and love, who always saw the good in people, and had friends of every kind? How does such a pure and innocent girl live only 27 years?”
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Inbar’s father, Haim, said in his eulogy: “How can I say goodbye to you, when I feel you as if you’re still alive? Thank you for the precious gift you left me. You were a child of endless giving, of freedom, light, and love. I remember our Saturday bike rides through the orchards behind the house. I remember doing your hair in pigtails and taking you to kindergarten. Your infectious laughter, your strong hugs – I remember every moment, my beautiful girl.”
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Inbar Haiman, also known as ‘Pink,’ was a graffiti artist. Credit: Courtesy of the family
Inbar Haiman, also known as ‘Pink,’ was a graffiti artist. Credit: Courtesy of the familyRelated Articles
“No one warned us that we would receive such a precious gift as you, and that it would only be for 27 years. If only I had known, I would have cherished every moment and every second with you.”
“You always knew how to see the light and the good in people. You filled the world with your creations, you painted the world pink. My girl, I am so sorry I wasn’t there for you to save you. I’m sorry, my child, that it took us so long to bring you back.”
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Haim Haiman and Hanna Cohen, the father and aunt of Inbar Haiman, who was taken hostage and murdered in Hamas captivity. Credit: Olivier Fitoussi
Haim Haiman and Hanna Cohen, the father and aunt of Inbar Haiman, who was taken hostage and murdered in Hamas captivity. Credit: Olivier Fitoussi
“Thank you for blessing us with a daughter like you, and thank you to the brave soldiers and the people of Israel. I want you to know that we fought for two years to bring you back. We prayed and hoped it would be different.”
Noam Alon, Inbar’s partner, addressed her in his eulogy. “You changed my life and made me feel things I never thought I would get to feel. I didn’t know what it meant to truly love, and it’s all thanks to you,” Alon said. “I wanted to ask your forgiveness that I couldn’t do anything – otherwise, I would have done everything. I wish you had a different ending, that it hadn’t ended this way.
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Noam Alon, partner of Inbar Haiman, Friday. Credit: Paulina Patimer
Noam Alon, partner of Inbar Haiman, Friday. Credit: Paulina Patimer
He said he doesn’t want people to remember Inbar by the way her life ended. “I want to remember you as you were the day before October 7. I take comfort in knowing you knew how to live more than anyone else.”
Inbar was a graffiti artist known as “Pink,” who also painted, sculpted, and photographed, and was described as a devoted art lover. In high school, she studied film, and was a fan of the Maccabi Haifa soccer team.
She studied visual communication at the WIZO Haifa Academic Center, where she met her partner, Noam. The two had planned to attend a soccer game on the Saturday they were abducted, and the next day to go on vacation in Sinai. This month, they were supposed to begin their fourth year of studies.
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Inbar Haiman
Inbar Haiman
At the Nova festival, Haiman served as a “helper” – a volunteer who supported people in medical or emotional distress during the event.
At the start of the attack on October 7, she managed to escape from Hamas terrorists and hide for more than two hours, but was caught by other terrorists who arrived on motorcycles.
In videos documenting her abduction, she appeared unconscious. Her friend Einav Somekh said the family was told she did not receive medical treatment that could have saved her. Her death was determined based on intelligence findings. Inbar was the last woman hostage whose body was held in Gaza.
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President Isaac Herzog hugs Yifat, the mother of Inbar Haiman, Friday. Credit: Paulina Patimer
President Isaac Herzog hugs Yifat, the mother of Inbar Haiman, Friday. Credit: Paulina Patimer
President Herzog spoke at the funeral and asked the crowd for forgiveness. “As President of the State of Israel, I ask you all, and you Inbar, and all our abducted and fallen and their families, for forgiveness. Forgive us for not being there for you, forgive us for not being able to save you, forgive us that it took us so long to bring you back.”
“We must remember well that the mission is not over, and we must not rest or be silent until the last of our abducted and fallen are brought to proper rest in the homeland’s soil,” he said.
Haiman is survived by her parents, Haim and Yifat, one brother, Ido, and her partner, Noam.