TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb 21:The Israeli military said Friday it had positively identified the remains of two young hostages but another body released by Hamas under a ceasefire deal was not the boys’ mother as the militant group had promised.
The revelation was a shocking twist in the saga surrounding the Bibas family, who have become global symbols of the plight of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, and threw the future of the fragile ceasefire into question.
“This is a violation of utmost severity by the Hamas terrorist organization,” the army said in a statement.
During the monthlong ceasefire, Hamas has been releasing living hostages in exchange hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Thursday’s release marked the first time the group has returned the remains of dead hostages.
Early in the day, Hamas had turned over four bodies to the Red Cross. Israel quickly confirmed one body was that of Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was abducted during the Hamas attack that started the war on Oct. 7, 2023.
More Israeli hostages freed and more Palestinian prisoners rele...
Hamas had said the other remains belonged to Shiri Bibas, and her two young boys, Ariel and Kfir. In an overnight announcement, the army said Israel’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine had identified the boys, but the final set of remains did not belong to their mother. It said the remains did not match any other hostage either.
“This is an anonymous, unidentified body,” it said. “We demand that Hamas return Shiri home along with all our hostages.”
It said the army had notified their family, including Yarden Bibas, Shiri’s husband and father of the two boys, who was released early this month as part of the ceasefire deal.
Hamas has claimed all four of the hostages returned Thursday were killed in Israeli airstrikes. But Israel said the testing had found the two boys and Lifshitz were killed by their captors.
Hamas did not immediately respond to Israel’s announcement that the body was not of the boys’ mother.
A top U.S. official issued a stark warning for Hamas after the Israeli military said the militant group released an “anonymous” body and not that of a slain Israeli hostage.
Speaking to CNN, U.S. envoy Adam Boehler called the Hamas decision to reportedly release the wrong body “horrific” and a “clear violation” of the ceasefire halting fighting in the Gaza Strip
“If I were them, I’d release everybody or they are going to face total annihilation,” said Boehler, who serves as the U.S. envoy for hostages.
It is now unclear whether the next scheduled swap, set for Saturday, will take place. It also is not clear whether the truce, which halted 15 months of fighting, will be extended when the current phase expires in early March.
In another potential blow to the deal, a series of explosions Thursday on three parked buses rattled central Israel.
There were no injuries and no claim of responsibility. But the Israeli military said in response it was beefing up its forces in the West Bank, raising the likelihood of further escalation in the area. Israel has been carrying out a broad military offensive in the occupied territory since the ceasefire took effect.
