The white cars moved slowly, their cargo of coffins unbearably heavy, their silence loud. Inside, the bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two small sons, Ariel and Kfir; also Oded Lifshitz, a retired journalist — all hostages stolen from their homes on Oct. 7, returned in death.

The convoy drove past Nir Oz, the kibbutz from which they had been taken. Crowds lined the road as the cars passed — somber, standing with Israeli flags and some whispering the national anthem.

Jews grieved together on social media, where an orange square and orange hearts — referencing the redheaded Bibas family — quickly spread as symbols of heartbreak. At Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, mournful music played as large monitors showed video clips of the four hostages in happier times. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “a wrenching day, a day of grief.”  [The body returned could not be confirmed as Shiri Bibas.]

Reported by Forward, Times of Israel, CNN, Getty Images