Israeli military accuses Hamas of breach as released body does not belong to hostage

JERUSALEM. The Israeli military has accused Hamas of violating the terms of an already fragile ceasefire after one of the bodies released by the group was found not to belong to any known hostage held in Gaza.

The military confirmed that two of the bodies returned by Hamas were those of nine-month-old Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother, Ariel. However, a third body, which was supposed to be their mother, Shiri Bibas, was found to be unidentifiable and did not match any of the known hostages.

“This is a violation of utmost severity by the Hamas terrorist organization, which is obliged under the agreement to return four deceased hostages,” the military stated, demanding the return of Shiri Bibas and all remaining hostages.

The body of another hostage, Oded Lifshitz, was formally identified by his family in a statement.

Hamas has yet to issue a response regarding the accusation.

The bodies were handed over in a carefully staged public display in Gaza, where Palestinian militants presented four black coffins before a crowd of onlookers, including dozens of armed Hamas members. The spectacle was met with sharp condemnation from international leaders, including U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to take further action against Hamas following the release of the remains. “Our loved ones’ blood is shouting at us from the soil and is obliging us to settle the score with the despicable murderers, and we will,” Netanyahu said in a recorded statement. “The four coffins strengthen our resolve more than ever to ensure there will never be another October 7.”

During the transfer, a militant stood next to a poster depicting Israeli flag-draped coffins with the words: “The Return of the War = The Return of Your Prisoners in Coffins.”

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric denounced the display, calling it “abhorrent and appalling.” He stressed that international law requires the dignified transfer of remains, ensuring respect for both the deceased and their families.

As the convoy carrying the coffins passed near the Gaza border, Israelis lined the rain-soaked roads to pay their respects. “We stand here together, with a broken heart. The sky is also crying with us, and we pray to see better days,” said a woman identified as Efrat.

In Tel Aviv, mourners gathered in Hostages Square, some weeping openly. “Agony. Pain. There are no words. Our hearts—the hearts of an entire nation—lie in tatters,” said Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Kfir Bibas, just nine months old at the time of his abduction, had become a symbol of the hostage crisis. His family was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, during a Hamas-led attack that resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of 251 others, according to Israeli figures.

Hamas claimed in November 2023 that the Bibas children and their mother had been killed in an Israeli airstrike, though Israeli authorities never confirmed their deaths. “Shiri and the kids became a symbol,” said Yiftach Cohen, a resident of Nir Oz, where around a quarter of the population was either killed or abducted in the attack.

Yarden Bibas, the father, was returned alive in a recent prisoner exchange.

Lifshitz, an 83-year-old journalist, was taken from the same kibbutz. His wife, Yocheved, was seized alongside him but was released two weeks later. Before his capture, Lifshitz had been a vocal critic of Netanyahu’s policies, writing an op-ed in the left-leaning Haaretz in January 2019 outlining what he viewed as policy failures.

The handover marked the first return of remains under the current ceasefire agreement. The Israeli military stated that the Bibas children were murdered in captivity in November 2023, while the Prime Minister’s Office claimed that Lifshitz was killed by Islamic Jihad, another Gaza-based militant group.

Chen Kugel, head of the Israel National Center of Forensic Medicine, later confirmed in a televised statement that Lifshitz had been dead for more than a year.

As the conflict enters its 16th month, Israel has repeatedly pledged to eliminate Hamas and secure the return of the remaining hostages. Thursday’s transfer of bodies is set to be followed by the release of six living hostages on Saturday, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees, primarily women and minors held by Israel.

Further negotiations are expected in the coming days for a second phase of hostage releases, which may include around 60 individuals, less than half of whom are believed to still be alive. Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war remain key points in the upcoming discussions, with mediation efforts continuing through Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States.