Body released by Hamas is not that of hostage Shiri Bibas: Israel

Body released by Hamas is not that of hostage Shiri Bibas, says Israeli military — Islamist group Hamas ‘brutally’ killed the bodies of Israeli mother Shiri Bibas and her two kids Kfir Bibas and Ariel. They were among the hostages taken during the group’s October 7, 2023, attack. Photo: SM/X

Hamas claims Shiri Bibas’ body mixed with other remains after Israeli strike

JERUSALEM,— Israel accused Hamas on Friday of violating a fragile ceasefire after one of the bodies returned by the group was not that of a known hostage.

The Israeli military confirmed that two of the bodies were those of nine-month-old Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother, Ariel. However, a third body, believed to be their mother, Shiri Bibas, did not match any known hostage.

“This is a grave violation by Hamas, which was obligated to return four deceased hostages,” the military said in a statement, demanding the return of Shiri Bibas and all remaining captives.

The family of Oded Lifshitz, another hostage, confirmed his body had been identified.

Hamas stated on Friday that the remains of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas were likely mixed with other human remains in the rubble after an Israeli airstrike struck the location where she had been held.

The remains were transferred as part of a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt. Hamas militants publicly handed over four black coffins in a highly orchestrated event, drawing condemnation, including from U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.

“The parading of bodies in this manner is abhorrent and appalling,” U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said, emphasizing that international law requires the dignified transfer of remains.

Mourners lined roads near the Gaza border, standing in the rain as the convoy carrying the coffins passed. In Tel Aviv, crowds gathered at Hostages Square, some weeping.

“Agony. Pain. There are no words. The hearts of an entire nation are shattered,” said Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation, saying, “The four coffins make it clearer than ever—there must never be another October 7.”

Kfir Bibas was nine months old when Hamas-led Islamist militants stormed Kibbutz Nir Oz, taking his family hostage.

Hamas claimed in November 2023 that Shiri and her children were killed in an Israeli airstrike, though Israeli authorities never confirmed their deaths.

“Shiri and the children became a symbol,” said Yiftach Cohen, a resident of Nir Oz. The kibbutz lost nearly a quarter of its population in the attack.

Yarden Bibas, the children’s father, was later released in a prisoner exchange.

Lifshitz, 83, was also taken from Nir Oz. His wife, Yocheved, 85 at the time, was released two weeks later. A former journalist, Lifshitz had previously criticized Netanyahu’s policies in Haaretz.

The Israeli military said the Bibas children were brutally murdered in captivity in November 2023. Netanyahu’s office stated that Lifshitz was killed by Islamic Jihad while being held in Gaza.

Chen Kugel, head of Israel’s forensic medicine center, later said Lifshitz had been dead for over a year.

The October 7, 2023 Islamic-State style Hamas attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel, with 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. Since then, Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has left roughly 17,000 Hamas Islamist militants.

Thursday’s body transfer will be followed by the release of six living hostages on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Arab prisoners from Gazans and West Bank , primarily women and minors.

Negotiations for a second phase of the ceasefire, including the release of around 60 remaining hostages and a potential Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, are expected in the coming days.

(With files from Reuters)