February 21st 2025.
The Israeli military made a statement on Friday, announcing that they have identified the remains of two child hostages. However, they clarified that the body released by Hamas was not the boys' mother, as claimed by the terrorist group.
The IDF revealed that out of the four bodies returned from Gaza, one did not belong to Shiri Bibas, the mother of the two boys. This contradicted Hamas' claims, as the remains of her two sons, infant Kfir Bibas and four-year-old Ariel Bibas, were positively identified. The fourth body has yet to be identified.
Thursday was a day of mourning in Israel as the bodies of four hostages were returned from Gaza. The convoy carrying the coffins was greeted by flag-waving crowds on the highways and thousands gathered in Tel Aviv for a nighttime vigil to pay their respects. Among the dead were an elderly man who was a journalist and peace activist, and three others, including a mother and her two young sons. These individuals had become symbols of the nation's pain after the 2023 Hamas attack that sparked a war with Israel.
The bodies of the two children, their mother, and another hostage, Oded Lifshitz, were part of a prisoner exchange as part of last month's ceasefire agreement. The US, Qatar, and Egypt were instrumental in brokering the deal. The return of the bodies on Thursday will be followed by the release of six living hostages on Saturday, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are women and minors detained by Israeli forces during the war.
Negotiations for a second phase of the agreement are set to begin soon, with the focus on the release of the remaining hostages, believed to be around 60, and Israel's full troop withdrawal from Gaza to end the war.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to seek revenge against Hamas after the group released the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including nine-month-old Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel, who were the youngest victims of the 2023 attack. Throughout the 16-month-long conflict, Israeli officials have maintained that Hamas will be eliminated and that the approximately 250 hostages taken in the attack will be brought home.
During the handover, a militant was seen standing next to a poster with coffins draped in Israeli flags and a message that read: "The Return of the War = The Return of your Prisoners in Coffins."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the display of the bodies and coffins of the deceased hostages as "abhorrent and appalling." His spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, stated that international law requires the respectful return of remains to uphold the dignity of the deceased and their families.
According to Israeli figures, the Hamas-led assault on Israel resulted in nearly 1,200 deaths and 251 people taken hostage. In response, Israel's military campaign has killed about 48,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials.
Kfir Bibas was only nine months old when he and his family, including his father Yarden, were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of several communities near Gaza that were targeted by Hamas-led militants. In November 2023, Hamas claimed that the two boys and their mother had died in an Israeli airstrike, but Israeli authorities did not confirm their deaths.
Yiftach Cohen, a resident of Nir Oz, shared that "Shiri and the kids became a symbol" in the aftermath of the attack, where almost a quarter of the population was either killed or kidnapped. Yarden Bibas was released alive earlier this month in a prisoner exchange.
Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was abducted from Nir Oz, was among the hostages. His wife, Yocheved, who was 85 at the time, was taken with him but was freed two weeks later with another woman.
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