Tsachi Idan will be laid to rest beside his daughter Maayan 

Tsachi Idan, who was murdered by his Hamas captors in Gaza and whose body was returned to Israel on Wednesday night, will be laid to rest on Friday morning.

A public farewell ceremony took place at 10:00 a.m. at Bloomfield Stadium, organized by Hapoel Tel Aviv fans in honor of Tsachi, who was a devoted supporter of the team.

Hundreds gathered at the public memorial ceremony at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv. 

"I part from my eldest brother and ask for his forgiveness that he returned in a coffin," Idan's sister, Noam Idan Ben Ezra, said during the ceremony. 

Following the ceremony, the funeral procession is now proceeding to Kibbutz Einat, where eulogies will be delivered in the presence of his family and close friends in a private gathering.

The Idan family, along with the families of other hostages, has called on the public to accompany Tsachi’s final journey with Israeli flags as a tribute to his memory.

Tsachi was abducted from his home on October 7 while sheltering in a safe room with his wife, Gali, and their three children. His eldest daughter, Maayan, was brutally murdered in front of the family while trying to help secure the safe room door. Tsachi will be buried next to her at the Kibbutz Einat cemetery.

The Idan family stated after his remains were identified, "Our family's unbearable journey to bring our beloved, dear Tsachi home from the hell in Gaza concluded with the identification of Tsachi's body by a team tasked with it by the State of Israel. The uncertainty and endless shake-ups have come to their end."

"Tsachi was kidnapped on his feet, and we received a number of signs of life from him during the period he was in captivity, and in the deal during November 2023 he was still alive and expected to be released," they said.

The family added, "Tsachi will be laid to eternal rest next to Maayan, his beloved daughter who was murdered on October 7 as she tried to help her father protect the door of the bomb shelter."