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Despite Hamas failing to transfer the body of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas, with the received remains later identified as a Gazan woman, Israel's priorities remain the same: Ensure that the first phase of the cease-fire deal proceeds as planned and as smoothly as possible.
Six living hostages are scheduled to be released during Saturday's exchange. Families notified that their loved ones are set to return include the relatives of Tal Shoham, Omer Wankrat, Omer Shem Tov, Avera Mengistu, Hisham al-Sayed, and Eliya Cohen. In addition, four more hostage bodies are planned to be handed over next week - which will mark the end of the first phase of the agreement with Hamas.
Once that phase is complete—assuming it proceeds smoothly—Israel is expected to hold a critical discussion on the second stage of the deal.
Meanwhile, security officials are likely to recommend retaliatory measures in response to what they consider a serious violation of the agreement regarding Shiri Bibas.
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One option under consideration is advising the government to issue an ultimatum to Hamas within the next 24 hours regarding the return of Shiri Bibas, which could include halting some of the concessions Israel has made as part of the deal.
Hamas claimed Friday morning that Bibas' remains appear to have been mixed with other human remains from the rubble after an Israeli air strike hit the place she was held in. The IDF stated that per intelligence, Ariel and Kfir were brutally murdered in captivity sometime around November 2023.
Earlier Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retribution over the perceived violation of the agreement. Hours after the bodies of Oded Lifshitz and the two Bibas children were identified, Netanyahu did not clarify what had happened to Shiri Bibas but confirmed that instead of her, the body of a Gazan woman was returned to Israel.
“The State of Israel bows its head in mourning for two small children, innocent babies, brothers—Ariel and Kfir Bibas, of blessed memory—and for Oded Lifshitz, of blessed memory, one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz. All three were brutally murdered in Hamas captivity in the early weeks of the war. The cruelty of the Hamas monsters knows no bounds,” Netanyahu said.
He continued, “Not only did they abduct the father, Yarden Bibas, the young mother, Shiri, and their two small babies. In an unimaginable act of cynicism, they did not return Shiri alongside her little angels. Instead, they placed the body of a Gazan woman in the casket.”
Netanyahu vowed to “act decisively” to bring Shiri home, “along with all our hostages—both the living and the fallen.” He also issued a direct warning to Hamas, one day before the next hostage release, stating: “We will ensure Hamas pays the full price for this cruel and wicked violation of the agreement.”
First published: 12:28, 02.21.25