Hamas has handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages to Israel, marking the first time the militant group has returned deceased captives since the ceasefire began last month.
The bodies belong to a mother and her two children from the Bibas family, whose fate had been unknown since their abduction, as well as Oded Lifschitz, an 84-year-old veteran peace activist. Israel has yet to confirm their identities, pending forensic analysis.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed the nation’s grief, stating that “the heart of the entire nation is torn,” and referred to those responsible for the deaths as “monsters.”
The handover took place in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, where four black coffins were displayed on a stage adorned with propaganda. A Red Cross official signed documents alongside armed Hamas fighters before the coffins were transferred to Israeli forces and driven back to Israel for post-mortem examinations at the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Jaffa.
The news of the Bibas family’s deaths sparked widespread sorrow in Israel. The Bibas family expressed turmoil, stating that their journey wouldn’t be over until they received official confirmation. The family members, including Shiri Bibas, 33, and her sons Kfir and Ariel, were taken during a brutal Hamas attack on 7 October 2023.
The family’s fate had been uncertain, and while Hamas claimed in November 2023 that they had died in an Israeli airstrike, the Israeli government did not confirm this claim.
The handover of the bodies follows an agreement in the ceasefire deal that took effect on 19 January 2025.
The deal also involves the release of 33 hostages in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.
So far, 28 hostages and over 1,000 prisoners have been exchanged, with 66 hostages still being held in Gaza.
Talks to move to the next phase of the deal, which would involve the release of the remaining living hostages and a permanent end to the war, have not yet begun.
