Politics Israel identifies two children's bodies
Israel has confirmed the identity of two children's bodies handed over by the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
21.02.2025, 01:22
SDA
They are the hostages Kfir and Ariel Bibas, who were abducted more than 16 months ago in the sealed-off coastal strip, the army announced after a forensic investigation. However, the third body handed over by Hamas was not their mother, Shiri Bibas.
The army had informed the Bibas family of the deaths of Ariel and Kfir Bibas, the statement added. The two also have German citizenship. According to experts based on intelligence information and forensic investigation results, "Ariel and Kfir were brutally murdered by terrorists in captivity in November 2023". According to Hamas, they were killed in an Israeli bombardment.
Military: third body belongs to an anonymous person
The investigation has revealed that the third body is not the mother of Shiri Biba, nor is it one of the other remaining hostages held by Hamas, according to the army statement. "This is an anonymous, unidentified body."
This is a serious violation by the terrorist organization Hamas of the agreement to hand over four killed hostages to Israel. "We demand that Hamas return Shiri along with all our other hostages," the statement continued. Ariel Bibas was four years old and Kfir Bibas ten months old at the time of his death.
It was initially unclear how the implementation of the deal between Israel and Hamas would proceed. According to Hamas, four more bodies are to be handed over next week. In addition, six more hostages are to be released on Saturday as part of the agreement between Israel and the Islamist organization.
Hamas handed over the mortal remains of four people to the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip on Thursday. They were then handed over to the army, which took them to the forensic institute near Tel Aviv. The body of Oded Lifschitz was identified first. Lifschitz was a retired journalist and activist for Palestinian rights.
As part of an agreement with Hamas, Israel was reportedly to release all women and minors arrested since the beginning of the Gaza war in October 2023 who were not involved in the armed struggle against Israel.
Bodies handed over during Hamas staging
The bodies were handed over to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in a staging by the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas in Chan Junis in the south of the coastal area. Hamas had set up a stage at the handover site and numerous cheering onlookers gathered alongside dozens of hooded and masked Islamists in uniforms, accompanied by loud music. This also caused great international outrage.
The fate of the Bibas family was unclear for a long time
The fate of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, who were abducted in the Gaza Strip, had been unclear for a long time. Video footage of the terrified mother and her two red-haired sons, which was taken during the abduction following the massacre by Hamas terrorists in the Israeli border area on October 7, 2023, went around the world.
The children's father, Jarden Bibas, was recently released. "Unfortunately, my family has not returned to me," he said after his return to Israel. "My light is still there (in the Gaza Strip), and as long as they are there, everything is dark here."
Body of an elderly male hostage identified
The wife of Oded Lifschitz, who was born in 1940, was also abducted in the Gaza Strip during the Hamas terror attack more than 16 months ago. Yocheved Lifschitz was released two weeks later. "I went through hell," she said at the time. The terrorists had ravaged her kibbutz Nir Oz, killing and kidnapping people. The couple's daughter recently reportedly expressed concern that she might not see her father alive again. "If he is still alive, it would be a miracle," she said.
"It is with deep sadness that we received the official and bitter news confirming the identification of the body of our beloved Oded," the family said in a statement released by the Hostage Relatives Forum. "503 agonizing days of uncertainty have come to an end."
