In Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Hamas returned the remains of four Israeli citizens on Thursday. Among the deceased were reportedly a mother and her two children, whose deaths had symbolized the nation’s grief since the October 7, 2023 attack.
The deceased were identified as Shiri Bibas and her children, Ariel and Kfir, along with 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz. Nine-month-old Kfir was the youngest victim. Hamas claims all four were killed, along with their guards, during Israeli airstrikes.
“Our hearts – the hearts of an entire nation – are broken,” stated Israeli President Isaac Herzog. “On behalf of the State of Israel, I offer my condolences and seek forgiveness. Forgiveness for failing to protect you that day. Forgiveness for not bringing you home safely.”
Four black coffins were displayed on a Gaza Strip stage, surrounded by banners, one prominently depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a vampire. Thousands, including numerous masked and armed militants, watched as the coffins were transferred to Red Cross vehicles for transport to Israeli forces.
Following a small, family-requested funeral service, the bodies were sent to an Israeli laboratory for DNA identification, a process expected to take up to two days. Families will receive confirmation only after identification is complete.
Israeli channels did not air the handover. In Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square, where Israelis have gathered to witness the release of living hostages, a screen displayed photos and videos of Lifshitz and the Bibas family, including images of a smiling baby Kfir and the family in Batman costumes.
Israel has celebrated the recent return of 24 living hostages under a fragile ceasefire, halting over 15 months of conflict. Thursday’s event served as a stark reminder of those who perished in captivity while truce negotiations continued for over a year.
This event could also spur negotiations on the ceasefire’s second phase, which has barely begun. The first phase is scheduled to conclude in early March.
Infant was the youngest taken hostage
Kfir Bibas, a red-haired infant with a toothless grin, was just 9 months old when militants stormed his family’s home on October 7, 2023. His brother Ariel was 4. Footage from that day shows a terrified Shiri wrapping her sons as militants escorted them into Gaza.
Her husband, Yarden Bibas, was separately abducted and released this month after 16 months of captivity.
Relatives in Israel held onto hope, marking Kfir’s first and second birthdays and his brother’s fifth. The Bibas family stated Wednesday that they would await “identification procedures” before confirming the deaths of their loved ones.
Israelis showed solidarity with the family by wearing orange – a reference to the boys’ red hair – and a popular children’s song was composed in their honor.
Similar to the Bibas family, Oded Lifshitz was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with his wife Yocheved, who was freed during a week-long ceasefire in November 2023. Oded was a journalist who advocated for Palestinian rights and Arab-Jewish peace.
In the October 7 attack, Hamas militants abducted 251 hostages, including approximately 30 children, and killed roughly 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
Over half the hostages, and most women and children, have been released through ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israeli forces rescued eight and recovered dozens of bodies of those killed in the initial attack or while in captivity.
It’s not clear if the ceasefire will last
Hamas plans to release six living hostages on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and says it will release four more bodies next week, concluding the ceasefire’s first phase. This leaves the militants with around 60 hostages, all men, roughly half of whom are believed to be deceased.
Hamas has stated that it won’t release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and complete Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu, with the Trump administration’s full support, aims to destroy Hamas’s military and governing capabilities and secure the return of all hostages – objectives widely seen as mutually exclusive.
Trump’s proposal to relocate approximately 2 million Palestinians from Gaza, allowing the U.S. to own and rebuild it – a plan welcomed by Netanyahu but universally rejected by Palestinians and Arab nations – further jeopardizes the ceasefire.
Hamas may hesitate to release more hostages if it believes the war will resume with the intention of annihilating the group or forcibly displacing Gaza’s population.
Israel’s military offensive killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants. Israel claims over 17,000 fighters were killed, but hasn’t provided evidence.
The offensive devastated vast areas of Gaza, leaving entire neighborhoods in ruins. At its peak, the war displaced 90% of Gaza’s population. Many have returned to find their homes destroyed and rebuilding impossible.
—Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel.
