Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser's remains were returned by Hezbollah in exchange for five Lebanese prisoners and the remains of some 200 Palestinian fighters on Wednesday. The men's capture two years ago in a cross-border raid by Hezbollah sparked a month-long war.

Soldiers carried the casket of Eldad Regev, 26, draped with the blue and white Israeli flag, towards the military cemetery in Haifa. A military rabbi chanted as Regev's father leaned on another family member, who comforted him. Thousands of other mourners trailed behind.

Earlier, mourners buried Goldwasser, 31. His wooden coffin was lowered into the ground in Nahariya by soldiers wearing the purple caps of an elite brigade. His widow, Karnit Goldwasser, held on to her late husband's father.

The father and brothers of Eldad Regev hug each other during his funeral in a military cemetery in Haifa

Shlomo and Miki Goldwasser, left, parents of Israeli soldier Ehud Goldwasser stand next to Karnit, Ehud Goldwasser's wife, during his funeral