The Israeli military has announced that one of the four bodies returned from Gaza on Thursday is not that of Shiri Bibas, the mother of two young boys who were killed while being held hostage by Hamas. This revelation has further intensified tensions as Israel continues to demand the return of all remaining hostages.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) informed the Bibas family that the remains of her two sons, Ariel, 5, and Kfir, 2, have been identified following their handover by Hamas. However, the IDF confirmed that the third body was not Shiri Bibas, despite Hamas’ claim.
“During the identification process, it was determined that the additional body received is not that of Shiri Bibas, and no match was found for any other hostage. This is an anonymous, unidentified body,” the IDF posted on X. The military accused Hamas of violating the agreement to return four deceased hostages and demanded that Bibas’ body be returned along with the other remaining captives.
Hamas has yet to comment on Israel’s assertion. The group had previously claimed that Bibas and her children were killed in an Israeli bombing. However, the IDF maintains that intelligence and forensic findings indicate the children were murdered in captivity by Hamas fighters in November 2023.
Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas were among the 251 hostages taken to Gaza during Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians. The children’s father, Yarden Bibas, 34, was later released by Hamas on February 1, 2024.
The return of hostages’ bodies was part of a ceasefire deal that began on January 19. So far, 28 hostages and more than 1,000 prisoners have been exchanged. Under the terms of the agreement, Israel expects to receive the bodies of eight hostages. Negotiations for a further phase of the deal which would see the release of the remaining living hostages and a potential end to the war have yet to begin.
Meanwhile, Israel has confirmed that one of the returned bodies was that of peace activist Oded Lifshitz. As of now, 66 hostages taken on October 7 are still in Gaza, with about half believed to be alive.
In a separate incident on Thursday, three buses exploded in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, in what Israeli police suspect was a terror attack. Explosive devices in two other buses failed to detonate, and no casualties were reported. Following the incident, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an “intensive operation against centers of terrorism” in the West Bank.
