Hamas returned the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including members of the Bibas family, under a ceasefire agreement following the Gaza war that began after Hamas’ October 7 attack. The transfer occurred in Khan Yunis and involved a ceremony marked by Hamas displaying black coffins and inflammatory imagery. The victims, Shiri Bibas, her two sons, Kfir and Ariel, and Oded Lifshitz, had become symbols of national despair. The handover is part of ongoing hostilities, with living hostages exchanged for Palestinian prisoners. As of now, ongoing discussions for the second phase of the ceasefire are expected to address further hostage releases.
On Thursday, Hamas delivered coffins that it claimed contained the remains of four Israeli hostages, including members of the Bibas family, who have become emblematic of the suffering experienced in Israel since the onset of the Gaza conflict.
This marks the first body transfer by Hamas since its assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war, occurring under a fragile ceasefire that has allowed living hostages to be exchanged for Palestinians detained in Israeli jails.
The ceremony to return the bodies of Shiri Bibas, her two young sons — Kfir and Ariel — and a fourth captive, Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 at the time of his capture, was held at a former cemetery in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.
Before the handover, Hamas showcased four black coffins on a platform set up on the sandy ground. A backdrop banner depicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a blood-soaked vampire, with an armed militant standing close by.
Each coffin featured a small photograph of the deceased. Nearby, white mock missiles displayed the message: “They were killed by USA bombs.”
A militant, his face covered by a red and white keffiyeh, was seen completing paperwork with a Red Cross official before the coffins were loaded into Red Cross vehicles, as shown in AFPTV footage.
The Israeli military later confirmed that “the hostages’ bodies were handed over” to them and the Shin Bet internal security agency in Gaza.
A large crowd gathered to observe the ceremony, with a fence set up to distance onlookers from the area designated for the Red Cross handover.
Armed men in military uniforms and Hamas headbands were everywhere, positioned near the stage for the meticulously organized ceremony, similar to previous hostage transfers during the truce.
Video footage from the family’s abduction, filmed and broadcast by Hamas during the attack, depicted Shiri Bibas and her young sons, Ariel (then four) and Kfir (just nine months old), being taken from their home near the Gaza border.
Yarden Bibas, the boys’ father and Shiri’s husband, was abducted separately that day and was freed from Gaza in a previous hostage-prisoner swap on February 1.
‘Day of grief’
The return of their remains is part of the initial six-week phase of a delicate ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which began on January 19 following over 15 months of conflict in Gaza.
Netanyahu remarked that Thursday would be “a very difficult day for the State of Israel — a heartbreaking day, a day of grief”.
During the first phase of the ceasefire, 19 Israeli hostages have been released by militants in exchange for over 1,100 Palestinian prisoners in a series of swaps mediated by the Red Cross.
Among the remaining 14 Gaza hostages eligible for release in this phase, Israel asserts that eight are deceased.
The Bibas family members have become national symbols of the anguish that has consumed the nation since the Hamas attack and hostage situation.
Despite their deaths being largely accepted globally after Hamas claimed they were killed by an Israeli airstrike early in the conflict, Israel has not confirmed this assertion, and many, including the Bibas family, remain skeptical.
Late Wednesday, the Israeli advocacy group Hostages and Missing Families Forum announced it had received the “heart-shattering” news regarding the deaths of the three Bibas family members.
The Bibas family stated they would await formal confirmation.
“If we receive devastating news, it must be communicated through the appropriate official channels after all identification procedures have been conducted,” they expressed in a statement late Wednesday.
The national forensic medicine institute in Tel Aviv has deployed 10 doctors to expedite the identification process, according to public broadcaster Kan.
Single swap
Earlier this week, Israel and Hamas announced an agreement for the return of the remains of eight hostages in two phases this week and next, alongside the release of the last six living Israeli captives on Saturday.
The hostages’ forum identified the six as Eliya Cohen, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, Hisham al-Sayed, and Avera Mengistu.
The ceasefire in Gaza has maintained relative stability, despite mutual accusations of violations. It has also been challenged by US President Donald Trump’s widely criticized plan to take control of rubble-strewn Gaza and displace its population of over two million Palestinians.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced on Tuesday that discussions would commence “this week” regarding the second phase of the truce, which aims to outline a more enduring resolution to the conflict.
Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu informed AFP on Wednesday that Hamas was prepared to release all remaining hostages held in Gaza in a single swap during phase two.
He did not clarify how many hostages are presently held by Hamas or other militant factions.
Hamas and its allies seized 251 individuals during their assault. Before Thursday’s handover, there were 70 hostages in Gaza, of whom the Israeli military states 35 are confirmed dead.
This attack resulted in the deaths of 1,211 individuals, primarily civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory measures have led to the deaths of at least 48,297 individuals in Gaza, with most being civilians, according to reports from the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled enclave, considered reliable by the United Nations.
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