Hamas is set to return the bodies of four hostages on Thursday, marking the first such transfer since its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which ignited the ongoing conflict. Among the remains to be handed over are those of Shiri Bibas and her two young children, Kfir and Ariel, whose abduction has become emblematic of the hostage crisis.
The bodies of Shiri, Kfir, Ariel, and a fourth captive, Oded Lifshitz, will be transferred in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis. Disturbing footage of their abduction, captured by Hamas militants during their initial assault, showed Shiri and her sons being forcibly taken from their home near the Gaza border. Ariel was just four years old at the time, and Kfir was a mere nine months old.
Yarden Bibas, the children’s father, and Shiri’s husband, was also abducted separately on the same day but was released in a prior hostage-prisoner exchange on February 1.
This handover of bodies is part of the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which began on January 19, after more than 15 months of intense fighting. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the emotional weight of the day, calling it “a very difficult day for the State of Israel – a heartbreaking day, a day of grief.”
Under the terms of the ceasefire’s initial phase, 19 Israeli hostages have been released in exchange for over 1,100 Palestinian prisoners. Of the remaining 14 Israeli hostages, Israel has confirmed that eight are deceased. While reports have circulated that the Bibas family perished in an Israeli airstrike early in the conflict, Israel has not officially confirmed their deaths, and many, including the Bibas family, remain unconvinced by Hamas’s claims.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum expressed its “heart-shattering” sorrow upon learning of the deaths but stated that official confirmation should come through proper channels following the completion of identification procedures. The Israeli authorities have not officially named the hostages to be returned, though Netanyahu’s office confirmed that families had been informed of the handover.
The National Forensic Medicine Institute in Tel Aviv has mobilized a team of doctors to expedite the identification process. In addition to the bodies being returned, Israel and Hamas agreed on a deal for the repatriation of eight more hostages in two phases, with the first phase set to begin this week. The second phase, which is anticipated to provide a more permanent resolution to the war, will involve talks that are set to start this week.
Hamas has signaled that it is ready to release all remaining hostages in a single swap as part of phase two of the ceasefire agreement. While the total number of hostages held by Hamas and other militant groups remains unclear, the Israeli military has reported that 70 individuals are still being held, 35 of whom are believed to be dead.
Since the October attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,211 people, mostly civilians, Israel’s retaliatory operations have killed at least 48,297 people in Gaza, the majority of whom were also civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. The tragic toll of this conflict continues to unfold as efforts toward peace remain tenuous.
