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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday condemned Hamas for returning the body of an unidentified woman instead of that of Shiri Bibas, the mother of two young boys whose remains were identified late Thursday night.
Hours after Israeli authorities confirmed the identities of Oded Lifshitz and brothers Ariel and Kfir Bibas, Netanyahu accused Hamas of transferring a Gazan woman’s body instead of Shiri’s. He did not comment on her fate.
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.
At the same time, the terror group called for the return of the remains of a Palestinian woman who was transferred in place of Shiri Bibas. Hamas also emphasized "the need to advance the implementation of the agreement’s rights at all levels. We reaffirm our seriousness and full commitment to all our obligations."
"The State of Israel bows its head in mourning for two small children, innocent babies, brothers—Ariel and Kfir Bibas—and for Oded Lifshitz, one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz," Netanyahu said. "All three were brutally murdered in Hamas captivity during the first weeks of the war. The cruelty of Hamas monsters knows no bounds.
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Netanyahu accused Hamas of acting with "unimaginable cynicism" by failing to return Shiri Bibas alongside her sons. "Instead, they placed the body of a Gazan woman in the coffin," he said.
The prime minister pledged to work "resolutely" to bring Shiri home, "along with all our hostages—both the living and the fallen."
His remarks came a day before six Israeli hostages were expected to be released in a new round of negotiations. They include Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, along with four hostages classified as ill or wounded—Omer Wenkert, Eliya Cohen, Tal Shoham and Omer Shem Tov. Netanyahu warned that Israel would make Hamas "pay the full price" for what he called a violation of the agreement.
"The sacred memory of Oded Lifshitz and of Ariel and Kfir Bibas will be forever enshrined in the heart of the nation," he said. "May God avenge their blood. And we will remember them."
The military confirmed that the identification of Kfir and Ariel Bibas was swift and conclusive. “We can say with certainty that they were murdered in a brutal manner, a fact supported by intelligence,” the IDF said.
Officials emphasized that Israel would make sure the world knows “the baby and the child were murdered based on solid intelligence, not just forensic examination. Al-Mujahedeen, an extremist Salafi group, held the Bibas family, and their murder took place in November 2023.”
First published: 09:31, 02.21.25