The Israeli military claims that the body of hostage Shiri Bibas was not returned with her young son’s remains.
The Israeli military made the claim in a statement on Thursday, Feb. 20 — a day after Hamas confirmed the death of Shiri and her two sons, Kfir and Ariel. Peace activist Oded Lifshitz, 83, was also confirmed dead.
Hamas had agreed to quickly release the “four slain hostages” and release an additional “six living hostages” on Feb. 22.
The Israeli military confirmed in its statement that two of the bodies had been identified as those of Kfir and Ariel, who they said “were brutally murdered by terrorists in captivity in November 2023.”
They said that Ariel Bibas was four years old at the time of his death, and Kfir was 10 months old at the time of his death.
In a statement from Lifshitz’s family shared by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, they confirmed that the third body was his.
According to the Israeli military, during the identification process, it was determined that the fourth body was no match for any other hostage, including Shiri, and therefore was an “anonymous, unidentified body.”
The Israeli military said that not returning Shiri’s body was a “violation of utmost severity by the Hamas terrorist organization, which is obligated under the agreement to return four deceased hostages.”
“We demand that Hamas return Shiri home along with all our hostages,” their statement added.
While Hamas has not responded to the Israeli military’s claims, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem proposed releasing the remaining prisoners in “one go” on Wednesday as part of the second phase of their of their agreement.
The deal, in which Israel is expected to surrender Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages, was agreed upon in January.
“We are ready for a second phase in which the prisoners will be exchanged in one go, within the criterion of reaching an agreement that leads to a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from the Strip,” Qassem said, per Al Jazeera.
Kfir and Ariel were abducted alongside their mother from their home in Nir Oz during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, the Israeli military said.
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Yarden Bibas, the boys’ father, according to the Israeli military, had gone out to protect his family and was abducted before their abduction. He was returned alive on Feb. 1.
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