Israel’s military said on Friday that one of the bodies returned by Hamas was not that of a hostage held in Gaza, accusing Hamas of violating the already fragile ceasefire agreement. The military confirmed the bodies of infant Kfir Bibas and his 4-year-old brother Ariel Bibas, but the identity of their mother Shiri’s body remains unconfirmed.
“This is a serious violation by the Hamas terrorist organization. According to the agreement, they are obligated to return the bodies of four deceased hostages,” the Israeli military stated, demanding Hamas to return Shiri and all hostages.
Another deceased hostage was 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz when he was kidnapped. His family confirmed his body had been returned. Hamas has not yet responded, while six hostages are expected to be released on Saturday.
Earlier, Hamas meticulously arranged a handover ceremony in public view, returning the bodies in four black coffins, under the watchful eyes of dozens of Hamas armed members and Palestinian crowds, sparking controversy.
A row of Hamas armed members stood in front of a huge poster with an image of a man standing on many coffins wrapped in Israeli flags, his legs turning into tree roots embedded in the ground, symbolizing the land belonging to Palestinians. The slogan on the poster read: “The Return of the War=The Return of your Prisoners in Coffins.” Hamas referred to the kidnapped hostages as “prisoners.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Hamas, calling the display of deceased hostages’ coffins “abhorrent and shocking.”
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stated that any act of transferring deceased bodies must comply with international law, ensuring dignity and respect for the deceased and their families.
Dujarric reiterated the UN’s call for the release of all hostages, achieving a permanent ceasefire, and advancing the “two-state solution” irreversibly.
In Tel Aviv, people gathered at “Hostages Square” across from the Israeli Defense headquarters, some in tears. President Isaac Herzog said, “The pain, the agony, are indescribable. Our hearts – the entire nation’s hearts – are broken.”
In a recorded speech, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to eradicate Hamas, stating that the four coffins made it clear that the tragedy of October 7, 2023, must not happen again. “The fresh blood of our beloved ones is crying out from the land, demanding us to hold these despicable murderers accountable. We will do so,” Netanyahu declared.
Israeli officials have repeatedly stated their intention to destroy Hamas and ensure the return of approximately 250 hostages abducted in the October 2023 attack. Kfir Bibas was only 9 months old when he was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, living near the Gaza border with his family in Nir Oz Kibbutz.
In November 2023, Hamas claimed that the Bibas brothers and their mother Shiri had died in an Israeli airstrike, but Israeli authorities did not confirm it.
“Shiri and her children have become a symbol,” said Yiftach Cohen from Nir Oz, where nearly a quarter of the residents were killed or kidnapped in the Hamas attack.
Earlier this month, Kfir and Ariel’s father, Yarden Bibas, was released in a prisoner exchange.
Lifshitz, one of the founders of the kibbutz, was 83 when abducted. His 85-year-old wife Yocheved was abducted with him but released two weeks later.
This return operation marked the first return of bodies under the current agreement. The military confirmed that the Bibas brothers were “murdered by terrorists” while in captivity in November 2023. The Prime Minister’s Office stated that Lifshitz was killed by another Gaza armed group, Islamic Jihad.
After this body return, Hamas is expected to release six surviving hostages on Saturday in exchange for several hundred Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, mostly women and minors. Negotiations for the second phase, expected to begin in the coming days, include the release of about 60 hostages still held by Hamas, possibly less than half of whom are still alive, as well as the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza to end the war.
(This article referenced related reports from Reuters)