Hamas handed over the bodies of four dead Israeli hostages, including a mother and her two young children. The terrorists displayed four black coffins on a stage surrounded by banners as Red Cross vehicles arrived at the scene.
Three of the bodies belonged to Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir. Kfir was the youngest captive taken that day.
Hamas has claimed that all three were killed in an Israeli airstrike early in the war. The group also plans to release the body of Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was abducted.
Thousands of people, including large numbers of masked and armed fighters from Hamas and other factions, gathered at the handover site on the outskirts of the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. Israeli channels did not broadcast the handover, and there were no plans to show it live in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, where Israelis have gathered to watch the release of living hostages.
The square was empty as it rained on and off in both locations, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) apart.
Kfir Bibas was just 9 months old when he was snatched by Hamas, his ginger hair and gummy grin a stark contrast to the terror of the day when militants barged into his home on October 7, 2023. His older brother Ariel was only 4 years old.
Footage from the attack showed their mother, Shiri, wrapping the boys protectively as Hamas members took them away into Gaza.
Yarden Bibas, the father, was held captive for 16 months before his release earlier this month.
Back in Israel, the family has been holding onto hope, celebrating Kfir’s first two birthdays and Ariel’s fifth in his absence. The Bibas family has announced they are awaiting “identification procedures”.
Across Israel, people have donned orange attire in a show of unity with the Bibas family, inspired by the boys’ distinctive red locks, and a children’s song has been composed to honour them.
Oded Lifshitz was seized from Kibbutz Nir Oz alongside his wife, Yocheved, who was released during a ceasefire in November 2023. Oded, a journalist and advocate for Palestinian rights and Arab-Jewish peace, remains missing.
Hamas has returned 24 living hostages in recent weeks under a ceasefire that paused over 15 months of war.
On October 23, 2023, Hamas-led terrorists stormed into Israel and kidnapped 251 individuals, including around 30 children, while killing approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
Over half of the hostages, predominantly women and children, have been released through ceasefire agreements or other arrangements. Israeli forces have managed to rescue eight individuals and have recovered several bodies of those killed in the initial attack or who died while being held captive.
This Saturday, Hamas plans to release six living hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, with a further four bodies set to be released next week. This marks the completion of the first phase of the ceasefire.
The militant group will then retain around 60 male hostages, approximately half of whom are believed to be dead.