The Israeli military announced a significant misidentification concerning one of the four bodies returned from Gaza to Israel on Thursday. Contrary to Hamas' claim, the returned body is not that of Shiri Bibas. The revelation that Shiri Bibas, aged 33, and her two sons, Ariel and Kfir, were initially presumed dead has led to widespread grief in Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed to the Bibas family that the bodies of her sons have been identified following their transferal by Hamas. However, the third body received was not identified as Shiri Bibas. The IDF has formally demanded the return of her body along with other hostages still held by Hamas, which has yet to respond to the allegations.
During the identification process, the IDF determined that the unidentified body did not match any known hostage, including Shiri Bibas, labeling it as an anonymous, unidentified body. The IDF labeled this a severe violation by the Hamas terrorist organization, which was supposed to return four deceased hostages under the agreement. "We demand that Hamas return Shiri home along with all our hostages," the IDF posted on X, emphasizing their call for justice.
The IDF has reported that Shiri Bibas's two children were brutally murdered by terrorists in captivity in November 2023, based on intelligence and forensic findings. This contradicts Hamas's statement that the boys and their mother were killed in an Israeli bombing. The Bibas family was initially kidnapped during the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023. While the children's father, Yarden Bibas, was released by Hamas on 1 February, the fate of Shiri remains a tragic mystery.
The release of hostages' bodies was part of a ceasefire agreement that took effect on 19 January. Israel has confirmed a total of eight bodies will be returned. The agreement includes an exchange of 33 hostages for approximately 1,900 prisoners within the first six weeks of the ceasefire. However, talks on advancing to the next phase of the deal, which would include the release of remaining living hostages and a permanent end to the war, have yet to commence.
As of now, 28 hostages and more than 1,000 prisoners have been exchanged. Sixty-six hostages, initially taken on 7 October, remain in Gaza. Additionally, three other hostages taken over a decade ago are also still held. It is believed that about half of the hostages still in Gaza are alive. The initial Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, and 251 individuals were taken as hostages to Gaza. Israel's subsequent military campaign against Hamas has resulted in the deaths of at least 48,297 Palestinians, predominantly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
In another development on Thursday, a suspected terror attack occurred in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, where three buses exploded. Israeli police reported that devices in two other buses failed to detonate. Fortunately, there have been no reported casualties. In response to these events, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced that he has ordered the IDF to conduct an intensive operation against terrorism centers in the West Bank.
