The mother of two young boys murdered by Hamas while in captivity was not among the bodies returned to Israel on Thursday and the terrorist group is claiming it was a mix-up.
Hamas officials reportedly said Friday that the remains of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas were “turned into pieces after apparently being mixed with other bodies under the rubble,” following an Israeli air strike that hit the place she was held in.
The bodies of Kfir Bibas, Ariel Bibas and Oded Lifshitz were returned to Israel more than 500 days after they were taken hostage, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has confirmed.
FATHER OF HAMAS’ YOUNGEST HOSTAGES IS RELEASED — BUT HIS FAMILY REMAINS IN HAMAS CAPTIVITY
Before the return of the remains of the four slain hostages, Hamas said the bodies would include Shiri Bibas and her two toddlers, Ariel and Kfir, ages 4 and 10 months, as well as Oded Lifshitz, a retired journalist and activist. However, Israel’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine could only determine the identity of two of the bodies, the young boys.
Instead of sending the body of Shiri Bibas in the coffin bearing her name and photo, Hamas handed Israel an unidentified body. The IDF said the DNA of the body in the coffin does not match any other known hostage.
HAMAS HANDS OVER BODIES OF 4 SLAIN ISRAELIS, INCLUDING SHIRI BIBAS AND HER TWO YOUNG BOYS
“During the identification process, it was determined that the additional body received is not that of Shiri Bibas, and no match was found for any other hostage,” the IDF said. “This is an anonymous, unidentified body.”
“According to the assessment of professional officials, based on the intelligence available to us and forensic findings from the identification process, Ariel and Kfir Bibas were brutally murdered by terrorists in captivity in November 2023,” authorities said.
The Red Cross, which handled the transfer on Thursday, said it was “concerned and unsatisfied” by the way Hamas hostage release operations have taken place.
“The ICRC does not participate in sorting, screening, or examining the deceased – this is the responsibility of the parties to the conflict”, it said in a statement on Friday, while expressing concern that the releases had not been conducted privately and in a dignified manner.
