The Israeli military has said one of the four bodies returned by Hamas on Thursday is not Shiri Bibas, as ITV News’ Fred Dimbleby reports
Israel has accused Hamas of a severe violation of the ceasefire agreement after they said tests showed one of the bodies returned by the militant group on Thursday was not Shiri Bibas.
Shiri and her sons Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 9 months, were abducted from their home on October 7, 2023. Yarden Bibas, the father, was taken separately and released on February 1.
Israel confirmed they had received the bodies of her sons, Ariel and Kfir, but said tests showed another body that was expected to be that of their mother is not hers – and does not match any other Israeli hostage.
Hamas is yet to respond to the allegations.
The Israeli military also said forensic evidence and intelligence suggested the boys were murdered.
Hamas had previously said they were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
In a statement, Israel said: “This is a violation of utmost severity by the Hamas terrorist organisation, which is obligated under the agreement to return four deceased hostages.
“We demand that Hamas return Shiri home along with all our hostages.”
Despite the development, the IDF said plans for the release of a further six hostages on Saturday were not expected to change.
Earlier on Thursday, Hamas handed over four bodies to Israel – which were said to belong to the three Bibas family members and Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was kidnapped alongside his wife in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023.
At a press conference, the head of Israel’s National Centre of Forensic Medicine Dr Chen Kugel said experts had confirmed that one of the four bodies was Lifshitz’s but did not comment about the Bibas family.
Following the announcement by the IDF, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, called on the United Nations to condemn “Hamas’ barbarity” and make an “immediate demand for the return of Shiri to her family.”
“There are no words that can describe such an atrocity. Hamas not only murdered Ariel and Kfir Bibas in cold blood – a four-year-old boy and a 10-month-old baby – but continues to violate every basic moral value even after their death,” Danon said.
“Instead of returning Shiri, the mother of Kfir and Ariel, Hamas returned an unidentified body, as if it were a worthless shipment. This is a new low, an evil and cruelty with no parallel.”
United Nations secretary general António Guterres condemned Hamas for how it handed over the bodies of the hostages to the Red Cross.
In a post on X, Guterres said: “Under international law, any handover of the remains of the deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families.”
The children’s father, Yarden Bibas, was released by Hamas earlier this month after 484 days of captivity.
He was one of the 19 Israeli hostages freed alive under the latest ceasefire agreement.
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