International
Israel Demands Return of Shiri Bibas as Hamas Hands Over Wrong Body
- Israel confirms the bodies of Ariel and Kfir Bibas but says Hamas did not return Shiri Bibas’ remains.
- IDF demands Hamas comply with the hostage return agreement as negotiations stall.
- Explosions on three buses near Tel Aviv spark security crackdown in the West Bank.
One of the four bodies returned from Gaza to Israel on Thursday does not belong to hostage Shiri Bibas, as previously claimed by Hamas, the Israeli military has stated.
The confirmation of the deaths of Bibas, 33, and her two sons, Ariel and Kfir—now aged five and two—has sparked widespread grief across Israel. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) informed the Bibas family that the bodies of the two boys were identified after Hamas handed over their remains on Thursday. However, the third body was not that of their mother, the IDF clarified.
The military has demanded the return of her body along with the remaining hostages, while Hamas has not yet responded to Israel’s claim.
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“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. This is an anonymous, unidentified body,” the IDF posted on X.
“This represents a grave violation by the Hamas terrorist organisation, which was obligated under the agreement to return four deceased hostages. We demand that Hamas return Shiri home along with all our hostages,” the statement continued.
According to intelligence and forensic findings, the IDF stated that the two children “were brutally murdered by terrorists in captivity in November 2023.” Hamas had previously claimed that Shiri and her sons were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas were 32, four, and nine months old, respectively, when they were kidnapped during Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel. The children’s father, Yarden Bibas, 34, was released by Hamas on February 1.
Israel has confirmed that the fourth body returned on Thursday was that of veteran peace activist Oded Lifshitz.
The return of the hostages’ bodies was part of a ceasefire deal that took effect on January 19. Under the agreement, Israel expects to receive a total of eight bodies. As part of the first six weeks of the deal, both sides agreed to exchange 33 hostages for approximately 1,900 prisoners.
Negotiations for the next phase—aimed at securing the release of the remaining living hostages and ending the war permanently—were scheduled to begin earlier this month but have yet to start. So far, 28 hostages and over 1,000 prisoners have been exchanged.
Currently, 66 hostages taken on October 7 remain in Gaza, along with three others who were kidnapped more than a decade ago. Israeli authorities believe about half of those still in captivity are alive.
The Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, with 251 people taken hostage. In response, Israel launched a large-scale military operation against Hamas, which has killed at least 48,297 Palestinians—mainly civilians—according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
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On Thursday, three buses exploded in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, in what Israeli police suspect was a terror attack. Authorities reported that explosive devices had been placed on the vehicles, but two additional devices failed to detonate.
While no casualties have been reported, police said “large forces are at the scenes, searching for suspects.”
Following the incident, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that he had ordered the IDF to launch an “intensive operation against centres of terrorism” in the West Bank.
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