Hamas handed over the remains of four Israeli hostages on Thursday, including members of the Bibas family, whose abduction became a symbol of Israel’s ongoing ordeal since the war in Gaza began.
The transfer, the first of its kind since Hamas launched its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, took place under a delicate ceasefire agreement that has seen hostages exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.
The bodies of Shiri Bibas, her two young sons—Kfir and Ariel—and an 83-year-old captive, Oded Lifshitz, were handed over at a former cemetery in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Ahead of the transfer, Hamas militants displayed four black coffins on a stage with a banner behind them depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a blood-stained vampire. A militant stood nearby as a Red Cross official finalized paperwork before the coffins were placed into Red Cross vehicles, as shown in AFPTV footage.
The Israeli military later confirmed receiving the bodies, stating that they were transferred to the army and Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, in Gaza.
Hundreds of people gathered to witness the handover, while armed Hamas members maintained order near the stage, which was set up similarly to past hostage exchanges.
The Bibas family’s abduction was widely publicized after Hamas released footage showing the mother and her sons, Ariel (4) and Kfir (9 months), being seized from their home near the Gaza border. Shiri’s husband, Yarden Bibas, was captured separately and later released in a hostage-prisoner swap on February 1.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the day as a “heartbreaking day, a day of grief” for the nation.
While Hamas claims the Bibas family was killed in an Israeli airstrike early in the war, Israel has never confirmed this assertion. Many, including the Bibas family, remained skeptical.
Late Wednesday, Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum announced it had received the “heart-shattering” news of the deaths of the three Bibas family members. However, the Bibas family said they would wait for official confirmation following forensic examinations.
The repatriation of the bodies is part of the initial six-week phase of a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which began on January 19 after over 15 months of fighting. Under this deal, Hamas has so far released 19 Israeli hostages in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinian prisoners through Red Cross-mediated swaps.
Of the 14 remaining hostages eligible for release under this phase, Israel says eight are dead.
Earlier this week, Israel and Hamas agreed to return the remains of eight hostages in two separate transfers, along with the release of the last six living Israeli captives on Saturday.
Despite reports of ceasefire violations, the truce remains in effect. Meanwhile, talks on a second phase of the agreement, aimed at securing a permanent resolution to the conflict, are expected to begin soon.
Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told AFP that the group is prepared to release all remaining hostages in a single exchange during the next phase, though he did not specify how many remain in captivity.
Since Hamas’s October 7 attack, which resulted in 1,211 deaths in Israel (mostly civilians), the Israeli military has conducted an intense retaliatory campaign in Gaza. According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, at least 48,297 people have been killed—figures the United Nations considers credible.
