Hamas has announced that it has handed over a body to the Red Cross, claiming it to be the remains of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas. This development follows a statement from Israel, which indicated that forensic testing had revealed the body handed over on Thursday was not that of Shiri Bibas but another unidentified woman.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have stated that they are in contact with the Bibas family and are preparing to conduct an identification test on the newly received body. A senior Hamas official confirmed to the BBC that this handover occurred on Friday evening.
Previously, Israel had accused Hamas of violating the terms of a ceasefire agreement following the revelation that the remains of Shiri Bibas had not been returned as initially claimed. The bodies of her sons, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, along with another hostage, Oded Lifschitz, were returned to Israel.
Hamas has claimed that the Bibas family members were killed by Israeli bombing, though they have not provided evidence to support this claim. In contrast, Israel disputes this, suggesting that forensic evidence, which has not been independently verified by the BBC, indicates that the boys were deliberately killed.
In a social media post on X, Hamas spokesman Ismail al-Thawabta mentioned that Shiri's remains might have been mixed with other bodies under the rubble following an airstrike.
Shiri Bibas, along with her sons Ariel and Kfir, aged 32, four, and nine months respectively, were kidnapped during the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. They were taken hostage with the children's father, Yarden Bibas, 34, who was later released alive by Hamas on February 1.
The attacks on October 7 resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, and 251 individuals were taken to Gaza as hostages. In response, Israel initiated a substantial military campaign against Hamas, which, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, has resulted in the deaths of at least 48,319 Palestinians, predominantly civilians.
