Synopsis
Israeli military confirms the identification of two child hostages, Kfir and Ariel Bibas, while stating that another body returned by Hamas is not their mother. The conflict continues as negotiations for further hostage releases are set to begin.Key Takeaways
- Identification of two child hostages confirmed.
- Body returned by Hamas is not their mother.
- Nation mourns the loss of the deceased hostages.
- Negotiations for further hostage releases are ongoing.
- Conflict continues with significant human toll.
Jerusalem, Feb 21 (NationPress) The Israeli military announced on Friday that the remains of two child hostages have been confirmed, while another body released by Hamas was not that of the boys' mother.
One of the four bodies returned from Gaza was not that of hostage Shiri Bibas, contradicting claims from the terrorist organization Hamas, according to the IDF.
The remains of her two sons, infant Kfir Bibas and four-year-old Ariel Bibas, were positively identified, while the additional body did not belong to their mother or any other Israeli hostage, as stated by the Israel Defense Forces.
The military report emphasized, "The additional body is not that of their mother, Shiri, nor that of any other Israeli hostage." The identity of this body remains unknown.
On Thursday, Hamas returned the remains of four hostages to Israel, leading to a national outpouring of grief as flag-waving crowds lined the highways on a rainy day to honor a convoy transporting the coffins. Thousands gathered in a Tel Aviv square for an emotional nighttime vigil.
The deceased hostages included an elderly journalist and peace activist, along with three others, including a mother and her two young boys, who became poignant symbols of the nation’s suffering following the Hamas attack that sparked Israel's war with the militant group in October 2023.
The remains of the two children, their mother, and a fourth hostage, Oded Lifshitz, were part of the exchange under the Gaza ceasefire agreement brokered with assistance from the US, Qatar, and Egypt.
The return of the bodies on Thursday will be succeeded by the release of six living hostages on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, primarily women and minors detained by Israeli forces during the ongoing conflict.
Negotiations for a second phase, aimed at securing the release of approximately 60 remaining hostages—less than half of whom are believed to be alive—alongside Israel's complete troop withdrawal from Gaza to conclude the war, are set to commence soon.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retribution against Hamas on Thursday after the group claimed to release the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including infant Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel, the youngest casualties of the October 7, 2023, attack.
Throughout the 16-month-long conflict, Israeli officials have consistently asserted that Hamas would be dismantled and that the approximately 250 hostages taken during the October 2023 attack would be returned.
During the handover, a militant stood next to a poster featuring coffins draped in Israeli flags, accompanied by the message: "The Return of the War = The Return of your Prisoners in Coffins."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned "the parading of bodies and displaying of the coffins of the deceased hostages in the manner observed this morning, which is reprehensible and distressing," stated his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
He added that international law requires the respectful return of remains to uphold "respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families."
The Hamas-led assault on Israel resulted in nearly 1,200 fatalities, with 251 individuals taken hostage, according to Israeli statistics. In retaliation, Israel's military campaign has claimed around 48,000 lives, based on Palestinian health officials' reports.
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 targeted by Hamas militants.
In November 2023, Hamas claimed that the two boys and their mother had perished in an Israeli airstrike, although Israeli authorities did not verify their deaths.
"Shiri and the kids became a symbol," said Yiftach Cohen, a resident of Nir Oz, where nearly a quarter of the population was either killed or kidnapped during the assault.
Yarden Bibas was released alive earlier this month in a prisoner exchange.
Oded Lifshitz, abducted at 83 from Nir Oz, was among the hostages. His wife, Yocheved, who was 85 at the time, was taken alongside him but was freed two weeks later with another woman.
