The IDF has reported that Shiri Bibas, the mother of two young boys who were allegedly killed by Hamas during their captivity, was not among the bodies returned to Israel on Thursday.
Prior to the return of the remains of four deceased hostages, Hamas had claimed that the bodies would include Shiri Bibas and her two sons, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 10 months, as well as Oded Lifshitz. However, Israeli authorities were only able to identify the bodies of the two young boys.
The IDF stated that the unidentified body received was not that of Shiri Bibas, and no other hostage was identified. They described the body as anonymous and unidentified.
According to expert assessments, based on available intelligence and forensic findings, Shiri Bibas and her two children were brutally murdered by terrorists while being held captive in November 2023.
The family has become symbolic of the suffering that Israel has experienced since the beginning of the Gaza war.
The IDF expressed its deepest condolences to the Bibas family during this incredibly painful time and reaffirmed its commitment to doing everything possible to bring Shiri and all the hostages home as soon as possible.
The IDF condemned the deaths as a “violation of utmost severity” by Hamas and demanded that the terror group return the body of Shiri Bibas and all other hostages.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, stated that Hamas continues to “violate every basic moral value,” even after the boys’ deaths.
He criticized Hamas for returning an unidentified body instead of Shiri, the mother of Kfir and Ariel, calling it a new low of evil and cruelty.
He further stated that UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the UN Security Council, and the General Assembly remain silent in the face of Hamas’ “barbarity” and demanded Hamas to return the body of Shiri Bibas.
Danon added that history will remember those who remained silent while Hamas trampled on the most basic principles of humanity.
The young boys and their mother were abducted from their home by Hamas terrorists during the terror group’s deadly attack. According to the IDF, Yarden Bibas, Ariel and Kfir’s father, was abducted while trying to protect them, prior to the kidnapping of his wife and children.
Yarden was released on Feb. 1 as part of the agreement for the return of hostages.
Thursday’s release marks the first transfer of deceased hostages since a ceasefire went into effect last month.
Approximately 70 hostages remain in Hamas custody. The majority of the remaining hostages, including Israeli soldiers, are men, and about half are believed to be dead.