Israel has accused Hamas of murdering Israeli infants Ariel and Kfir Bibas “with their bare hands” after the Palestinian militant group handed over their bodies without returning the remains of their mother, Shiri Bibas.
Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated that forensic tests confirmed the siblings were killed in cold blood. “The terrorists did not shoot the two young boys—they killed them with their bare hands,” he said, adding that Hamas then attempted to cover up the crime.
The Bibas family was among those taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. The boys, aged four and 10 months at the time, were abducted along with their parents, Shiri and Yarden.
While Yarden was released earlier this month as part of a fragile ceasefire deal, the return of his children’s bodies has only deepened the family’s grief. Hamas handed over four bodies on Friday, two of which were confirmed to be Kfir and Ariel. However, the remains provided for Shiri did not match any known hostages and remain unidentified.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Hamas for what he called a “cruel and evil” act, vowing that the group would “pay the full price” for its actions. Hamas claimed that Shiri’s remains were mixed with those of another woman after an alleged Israeli airstrike destroyed the building where she was held. Netanyahu rejected this explanation, accusing the group of deliberate deception.
“Not only did they abduct the father, the young mother, and their two small infants in an unimaginably cynical manner, but they also failed to return Shiri to her children,” he said. “Instead, they placed the body of a Gazan woman in a coffin.”
Meanwhile, the Bibas family has expressed frustration with the Israeli government, blaming Netanyahu for failing to protect their loved ones during Hamas’s attack and failing to secure their release.
“There is no forgiveness for abandoning them on October 7, and no forgiveness for abandoning them in captivity,” said Ofri Bibas, the sister of Yarden Bibas. “We did not receive an apology from you in this painful moment.”
The fourth body returned was identified as that of 83-year-old UK-linked journalist Oded Lifschitz. The Israeli military has reiterated its demand that Hamas return Shiri Bibas’ remains and the bodies of all deceased hostages.
In a separate development, Israel announced that it has received a list of six hostages slated for release by Hamas on Saturday. The families have been informed, and the public has been urged to refrain from spreading unverified information.
The hostages named by Hamas for release are Tal Shoham, Omer Shem-Tov, Eliya Cohen, Omer Wenkert, Avera MengistnI, and Hisham al-Sayed.
