3 generations of Israeli family killed by Hamas laid to rest at Kibbutz Be'eri

Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Members of three generations of an Israeli family were laid to rest in Kibbutz Be'eri after they were killed in the attack by Hamas earlier in the month.

Mourners held funerals Sunday for 17 victims of the Oct. 7 attack at the kibbutz, part of a larger attack on Israel by the militant group that left more than 1,400 Israelis dead.

More than two weeks later, forensic investigators are still going through the remains following the attack to identify possible victims. Thus far, 108 members of the kibbutz are confirmed dead. That equates to around 10% of the population of roughly 1,100.

About 70 people remain missing, with many believed to have been kidnapped by Hamas militants and taken into Gaza.

Ohad Cohen, 43, his 10-month-old daughter Mila, and 73-year-old mother Yona were among those given a formal burial Sunday.

Cohen's wife, Sandra, was hit by four bullets and their 9-year-old son grazed by shrapnel. The rest of the family was in the midst of being escorted toward Gaza by Hamas gunmen when they were rescued by Israeli soldiers.

U.S. citizens are among those kidnapped. Two Americans were freed last week after being held by Hamas in the Palestinian enclave.

Forensics teams are diligently sorting through the kibbutz rubble in an effort to identify any remaining victims and give closure to family members that are left wondering about the fate of their loved ones.

The scope of the destruction and the amount of rubble to sift through is making it a painstaking task.

"Today it's a flower garden compared to what it was in the beginning. This round of searches is quieter, we're looking for small things," volunteer Yossi Landau told the Times of Israel in an interview Sunday.

Israeli authorities have positively identified the bodies of 769 civilians killed on Oct, 7.

More than 5,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 14,000 injured as a result of the Israeli military's counter-offensive against Gaza.