Slain Bodies Of Mother Shiri Bibas And Her Children Handed Over By Hamas

Slain Bodies Of Mother Shiri Bibas And Her Children Handed Over By Hamas

The Bibas family has become a powerful symbol of the 251 Israelis kidnapped on 7 October 2023 – not least because Kfir was the youngest taken.

Shiri Bibas, four-year-old Ariel, and nine-month-old Kfir were kidnapped from a kibbutz during the militant group’s October 2023 attack.

The children’s father, Yarden Bibas, was released on 1 February as part of the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.

Shiri Bibas was filmed cradling Ariel and Kfir as they were kidnapped by Hamas
The body of journalist and peace activist Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was abducted, was also expected to be handed over.

Hamas has said they were all killed in Israeli airstrikes near the start of the war. The group has never provided evidence to back this up, while Israel has not confirmed the claims.

The Bibas family has become a powerful symbol of the 251 Israelis kidnapped on 7 October – not least because Kfir was the youngest taken.

The bodies were handed to the Red Cross in the Gaza city of Khan Younis on Thursday morning.

Magnay, said Hamas used the handover as a “propaganda opportunity” and had tried to send the message: “This was caused by you, you should take responsibility for it.”

“They had missiles on the stage where the four coffins were, saying they were killed by US bombs,” Magnay said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also depicted as a vampire in an image behind the dead hostages.

Israel’s heart ‘in tatters’

At the family’s request, the Israeli military held a small funeral before the bodies were taken to a Tel Aviv laboratory for DNA tests to verify their identity.

Mr Netanyahu said it would be “a very difficult day for the state of Israel”, while President Isaac Herzog said “the hearts of an entire nation lie in tatters” and asked for “forgiveness for not protecting you”.

Israel previously said it was extremely concerned about the condition of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir but had never confirmed their deaths.

All four of the Israelis were abducted at Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of a number of communities overrun by Hamas on the day of the surprise attack.

The boys’ father Yarden Bibas was released earlier this month.
The family said this week their “journey is not over” until they receive confirmation of what happened to Shiri and the boys.

Meanwhile, six living hostages, the final due to be freed under the first phase of the Gaza truce deal, will also be released on Saturday, according to Hamas.

Israelis who survived being held prisoner in Gaza have been released in small groups since the first six-week phase began last month.

Three more – Alexander Troufanov, Sagui Dekel Chen and Iair Horn – were freed last weekend. The swap included 369 Palestinians, the most released so far.

Israel said negotiations on the second phase of the deal and an extension to the ceasefire would start this week.

Foreign minister Gideon Saar said it would involve the remaining hostages being exchanged for more Palestinian prisoners.