Israel was gripped by grief and fury on Friday after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) revealed that Hamas had failed to return the body of Shiri Bibas, the mother of two of the youngest hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks.
While Hamas returned the remains of her sons, 4-year-old Ariel and 10-month-old Kfir, the IDF confirmed that the female remains provided were not Shiri’s but instead belonged to an “anonymous body.”
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Hamas for what he called an “unimaginably cynical act,” accusing the terrorist group of failing to return Shiri alongside her children and instead placing the body of a Gazan woman in the coffin.
“We will act decisively to bring Shiri home, along with the rest of the hostages,” Netanyahu vowed in a statement. “Hamas will pay the full price for this cruel and wicked violation of the agreement.”
Hamas later claimed that Shiri’s remains may have been “mixed” with others after an Israeli airstrike allegedly killed her and her sons in November 2023, just weeks after their abduction. Israel has accused Hamas of murdering the Bibas family members while they were in captivity.
The grim handover of the bodies took place on Thursday in a disturbing ceremony that saw four black caskets displayed on a stage adorned with slogans accusing Israel of killing Shiri and her sons using “USA bombs.”
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Among the remains returned was that of 84-year-old Oded Lifshitz, a Holocaust survivor. The scenes drew condemnation from United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who called for the dignified treatment of the deceased and their families under international law.
The incident has further strained the fragile ceasefire agreement brokered last month with the help of Qatari and Egyptian mediators and backed by the United States. While six living hostages—Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, Tal Shoham, Hisham Al-Sayed, and Avera Mengistu—are expected to be released on Saturday, the future of the truce remains uncertain. Al-Sayed and Mengistu, who entered Gaza over a decade ago, have been held by Hamas since then.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called Hamas’ failure to return Shiri’s body a “serious violation” and declared that “the only solution is the destruction of Hamas.” His comments followed a suspected militant attack on Thursday, in which explosions rocked buses in a parking lot in central Israel. Authorities believe the explosives used match those deployed in the occupied West Bank, though details remain unclear.
The attack coincided with Israel’s ongoing military operation in the northern West Bank, dubbed “Iron Wall,” aimed at dismantling militant groups and preventing future attacks. However, the International Rescue Committee warned that the operation has displaced thousands, destroyed water networks, and restricted movement, with children among those killed. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) also reported that forced displacement in the West Bank is escalating “at an alarming pace.”
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As Israel mourns the loss of Shiri Bibas and her young sons, the nation remains resolute in its determination to bring all hostages home and hold Hamas accountable for its atrocities. The incident underscores the brutal reality of Hamas’ tactics and the urgent need to dismantle the terrorist organization to ensure the safety and security of the Israeli people.
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