Hamas releases Israeli hostage bodies on Thursday, marking the first release of deceased captives since October 7, 2023. The handover included Shiri Bibas, 32, and her two sons Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 9 months, who were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
The fourth body belonged to Oded Lifshitz 83, who was abducted with his wife Yocheved Lifshitz, later freed in October 2023. Before the transfer Hamas displayed four black caskets on stage in Khan Younis, setting them against a propaganda backdrop.
The Red Cross first received the remains before handing them to the Israeli military, which transported them into Israel. As the convoy passed crowds waving Israeli flags lined the roads, mourning the victims.
Authorities sent the bodies to the Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for examination. Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed deep sorrow stating that the nation’s hearts lie in tatters.
Apologizing on behalf of the government he admitted failure in protecting those captured during the attack. Hamas claimed in november 2023 that an Israeli airstrike killed Shiri Bibas and her children but no evidence supported this.
The boys known worldwide as the symbol of the October 7 attack appeared on campaign posters and protest shirts. Their father Yarden Bibas spent 484 days in captivity before Hamas released him under a ceasefire deal in January 2025.
Tensions rose before the handover when the Bibas family accused Israeli officials of releasing the names without their consent. Authorities later clarified that military liaison officers had disclosed the information.
The family urged the public to wait for final identification before mourning publicly. As Hamas releases Israeli hostage bodies, Israel faces another chapter in an ongoing crisis while families continue waiting for answers.
