Over 500 days after the devastating October 7, 2023 attack, Hamas has returned the remains of four Israeli hostages. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the return but revealed a tragic discrepancy: the body of Shiri Bibas, mother of two young boys also held captive, was not among those returned.
Forensic examination positively identified the remains of young Ariel and Kfir Bibas, aged 4 and 10 months respectively. The IDF stated that the other two bodies included an unidentified individual and not Shiri Bibas as initially expected. Authorities assess, based on intelligence and forensic findings, that the Bibas children were tragically killed by Hamas while in captivity in November 2023.
The IDF expressed deep condolences to the Bibas family and reaffirmed their commitment to the return of Shiri Bibas and all remaining hostages. They condemned the children's deaths as a grave violation by Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed this sentiment, denouncing Hamas's cruelty and vowing to hold them accountable for their actions and their failure to return Shiri Bibas. He alleges that Hamas deceptively placed the body of a Gazan woman in the coffin intended for Shiri.
Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, criticized the international community's silence on the matter and demanded the return of Shiri Bibas. He characterized the situation as a new low of cruelty and evil. The Bibas family, along with retired journalist and activist Oded Lifshitz, were among those abducted by Hamas during the October 2023 attack. Yarden Bibas, the father, was released earlier in February as part of a ceasefire agreement. This recent return of bodies marks the first transfer of deceased hostages since the ceasefire began. Approximately 70 hostages remain in Hamas custody, many believed to be deceased.
