Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed “revenge” on Hamas after it was discovered that the body in a coffin bearing Shiri Bibas’ name and photo was an unidentified woman, and not the kidnapped mother of two.
On Thursday, Hamas was supposed to deliver the bodies of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas and Oded Lifshitz. However, during the identification process, Israel discovered that the body inside Shiri’s coffin was not hers.
“These Hamas monsters also cynically refused to bring back the boys’ mother, Shiri, and sent the body of a Gazan woman instead, in brazen violation of the agreement,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Friday.
TERROR GROUP RESPONDS AFTER FAILING TO RETURN THE BODY OF MURDERED HOSTAGE SHIRI BIBAS
“And as the prime minister of Israel, I vow that I will not rest until the savages who executed our hostages are brought to justice. They do not deserve to walk this earth. Nothing will stop me. Nothing,” he added.
IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, citing forensic findings and intelligence, confirmed on Friday that Ariel and Kfir Bibas “were murdered by terrorists in cold blood. The terrorists did not shoot the two young boys, they killed them with their own hands. Afterwards, they committed horrific acts to cover up these atrocities.”
Hagari said Hamas’ handing over “the body of an anonymous woman” instead of Shiri Bibas was “further evidence of Hamas’ barbaric cruelty.”
In response to the findings, the Hostages and Missing Families forum issued a statement.
“We are shaken to the core by the horrifying findings confirming the cruel and brutal murder of Ariel and Kfir Bibas—just innocent infants—at the hands of Hamas. This barbaric act is yet another undeniable testament to the unfathomable brutality of those who continue to hold our loved ones captive. The very same hands that slaughtered Ariel and Kfir are the ones keeping our fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters in unimaginable conditions,” the statement reads.
The organization, which was founded in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks, reiterated its demand that Hamas release the remaining hostages “before it is too late.”
Ofri Bibas Levy, Yarden Bibas’ sister, however, struck a different chord in a statement released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, we did not receive an apology from you in this painful moment. For Ariel and Kfir’s sake, and for Yarden’s sake, we are not seeking revenge right now. We are asking for Shiri,” Levy said in the statement.
ISRAEL’S UN AMBASSADOR SLAMS HAMAS’ ‘EVIL AND DEPRAVED’ DISPLAY OF HOSTAGES’ COFFINS
The revelation that Shiri’s body was not returned alongside her sons sparked widespread outrage. World leaders and celebrities, including Dr. Phil and Patricia Heaton, condemned Hamas’ actions and expressed their disgust with the terror group.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-Ny, who has been outspoken about his support for Israel, slammed those criticizing the Jewish state’s response to Hamas’ attacks.
“Those who insist that Israel stop defending itself in the face of genocidal terror are asking the world’s only Jewish State to sign a suicide pact that no other nation-state, including our own, would ever sign,” Torres wrote on X.
U.S. Envoy for Hostages Adam Boehler called Hamas’ actions “horrific” and “a clear violation” of the ceasefire agreement while speaking with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Thursday. Boehler warned that if Hamas does not release all the remaining hostages, it will “face total annihilation.”
Netanyahu also delivered a message to the fallen Israelis whose bodies were returned by Hamas on Thursday.
“Ariel, Kfir and Oded: I am so sorry we couldn’t save you from the monsters who did this. We honor your kind and loving souls, so tragically cut down by evil terror,” the prime minister said.
Israel is preparing to receive six living hostages on Saturday, two of whom have been held hostage in Gaza for over a decade.
