Final Farewell: Guy Illouz, Abducted and Murdered in Captivity, Laid to Rest

In a devastating final ceremony, hundreds of mourners gathered this evening in Ra’anana to lay to rest Guy Illouz, whose body was repatriated from Hamas captivity two days ago and formally identified yesterday. Illouz was a renowned musician and guitar player who worked as a sound man for Israeli music legends, including Matti Caspi, Shalom Hanoch, and the band HaYehudim. Caspi, visibly moved, attended the funeral in a wheelchair.

Guy's father, Michel Illouz, delivered a heart-wrenching eulogy, struggling to comprehend the end of his eldest son's life. "My Guychuk, my beloved firstborn son, how does one eulogize a son and a beloved child?" Michel began, his voice thick with pain. "It′s hard for me to see and imagine the horizon without you."

Guy was wounded but alive when he was abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7th. He managed to inform his relatives that he was being shot at before he was taken. Forensic examination after his body was returned confirmed that he died from his wounds while in Hamas captivity, having been denied adequate medical treatment. His family was informed of his death on November 30, 2023.

The Painful Moment of Identification

Michel Illouz recounted the brutal details of his son’s capture and his own unbearable experience identifying the body. "Yes, my Guychuk, I was left hollow and punctured since that random shooting by the despicable terrorists when they caught you and asked you to turn around, and then simply shot you with two unnecessary bullets in the back," he described.

Recalling the moment he saw his son at the Abu Kabir forensic institute, Michel said, "I drove to Abu Kabir to identify you and say goodbye. They removed the white sheet and the first thing I saw was that same smile of yours, that same optimism and peace of mind and nobility that so characterized you."

He shared the difficulty of the farewell: "I touched you, I tried to smell you, I caressed every bone in you. I saw you, I was alone with you, and I felt one hundred percent that it was you! I know, Guychuk, that you have returned to us... returned to the arms of your family and all your friends and all the millions of citizens whose story touched them."

The Comfort of a Companion

Michel also thanked Maya Regev, a fellow hostage who was released in the initial exchange, noting her presence with Guy in his final moments. "To my delight, you didn't receive what you asked for, and instead, you received a very great gift, you received Maya Regev who was with you in the final days and moments before you gave your soul to the Creator," he said, turning to her. "Beloved Maya, I want to thank you for being the last to see and be with our Guychuk. We were blessed with you."

Concluding his speech, Michel offered one last, tender farewell: "Before I left Abu Kabir today, I kept my promise, I looked at you, I breathed you in for the last time and I did kiss you on the forehead, and I managed to see your beauty, even in the condition in which you returned to us. Rest, my sweetheart, rest after a two−year journey in worlds unknown to us. I love you, my beloved firstborn son."