Israel says mother not among four hostages’ bodies returned by Hamas

The Israeli military has said it has confirmed the identities of two children whose remains were handed over by Hamas along with two others’, but also said their mother was not among those returned in “a violation of utmost severity.”

The military said that, after a forensic examination, it could confirm that two of the bodies returned by the Palestinian militant organization belonged to Ariel and Kfir Bibas, who were among the more than 250 people abducted from Israel to the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

However, the third body was not that of their mother, Shiri Bibas. Hamas had said the remains of the woman would be among those returned on Thursday.

“During the identification process, it was determined that the additional body received is not that of Shiri Bibas, and no match was found for any other hostage,” the Israeli military said. “This is an anonymous, unidentified body.”

“This is 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.”

Ariel Bibas was 4 years old at the time of the attack; his brother Kfir was just 9 months. Their father, Yarden, was also taken on October 7. He was released alive earlier this month.