HAMAS has returned the bodies of four slain Israeli hostages in a private handover ceremony tonight, days after the terror group admitted it had “mixed up” the body of Shiri Bibas.
The grim exchange comes as Israel mourns the deaths of Shiri and her two children, whose fate was long uncertain due to Hamas’s conflicting reports.
www.timesofisrael.com(L-R) Shlomo Mantzur, Tsahi Idan and Itzik Elgarat[/caption]
www.timesofisrael.comFrench-Israeli hostage Ohad Yahalomi was also among the four bodies released[/caption]
PolarisYarden Bibas by the fresh grave of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir during their heartbreaking funeral today[/caption]
PolarisThe devastated dad was seen crying on the coffin of his wife and two boys[/caption]
The bodies of Tsahi Idan, Itzik Elgarat, Ohad Yahalomi, and Shlomo Mantzur were transferred under the terms of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
And unlike its previous twisted ceremonies, the terrorists gave back the hostage remains in a private, un-televised handover.
An Israeli security official, citing information from the Red Cross, confirmed that the bodies of the four slain hostages have been handed over to the humanitarian organisation.
The official added that the coffins were en route to Israeli forces at the Kerem Shalom crossing, The Times of Israel reported.
Hamas had claimed Israel would simultaneously release over 400 Palestinian prisoners, but Israeli authorities insisted they would wait until the hostages’ remains arrived and were properly identified.
A Red Cross bus carrying Palestinian security prisoners reportedly departed Ofer Prison around 1am local time, headed to the Beitunia checkpoint near Ramallah, where they will be released.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Palestinians have gathered at the Ramallah Cultural Palace to welcome the freed detainees.
Arabic media reports indicate that prisoners set for release in Jerusalem are being escorted home from the Russian Compound detention centre.
The return of the bodies will not mark an immediate end to the agony.
Israel’s Health Ministry confirmed earlier on Wednesday it was preparing to identify the remains at the Kerem Shalom crossing, located on the Gaza border.
Once identification is complete, the bodies will be transported to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Jaffa for post-mortems to determine the exact causes of death.
A team from the Institute has been dispatched to Kerem Shalom, but the state of the remains could complicate this process, The Times of Israel reports.
If field identification proves difficult, the bodies may need to be transferred to Abu Kabir for further examination, potentially extending the process by hours or even days.
A source in Israeli media added that the release of Palestinian prisoners will only occur once the slain hostages’ identities are positively confirmed.
This move is a response to past mistakes, including the incident where Hamas initially handed over the wrong body – a mix-up involving a Gazan woman instead of Shiri Bibas.
The error, which was later rectified, has led to a lack of trust, prompting Israel to insist on thorough identification procedures.
French President Emmanuel Macron also paid tribute to dual-national Ohad Yahalomi, one of the four, saying: “all my heart is with the family and loved ones.”
Israelis are in mourning as the Bibas family — Shiri and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir —were buried today after Hamas admitted the group had ‘mistakenly’ destroyed their remains.
Their fate, which was revealed last week, has sparked further outrage over the hostage crisis.
US President Donald Trump condemned Hamas over the handover, saying: “They think they’re doing us a favor by sending us bodies. This is a vicious group of people.”
During a cabinet meeting, he reflected on the desperation of hostage families.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of the parents… They want those bodies almost as much, and maybe even just as much, as they wanted their son or their daughter,” he recalled.
HUMILIATING CEREMONIES
The latest release follows Israel’s decision to halt a previous prisoner swap after Hamas staged what Israeli officials called “humiliating” public celebrations, shamelessly parading freed captives in Gaza.
Tonight’s exchange is being conducted in private to avoid similar scenes.
The Israel Prison Service has confirmed that Palestinian prisoners will only be released once the bodies are officially identified.
However, a Hamas official claims the inmates should have been freed simultaneously and that the terror group had already agreed to the deal proposed by mediators.
Despite Hamas’s attempts to leverage the hostage crisis, the return of the four bodies marks the final exchange under the first phase of the fragile ceasefire agreement.
PolarisThousands gathered in the Kidnapped and Missing square in Tel Aviv to watch the ceremony of the funeral of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas[/caption]
PolarisShiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023 and their bodies were returned to Israel this month[/caption]
ISRAEL IN MOURNING
As Israel grapples with the latest hostage handover, thousands of mourners lined the streets for the funeral of Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, whose deaths were only confirmed last week.
Their heartbroken husband and father, Yarden Bibas, led the emotional farewell, delivering a gut-wrenching eulogy as his wife and two boys were laid to rest in the same coffin.
“Shiri, I love you and will always love you! Shiri, you are everything to me! You are the best wife and mother there could be,” he said.
“Shiri, please watch over me… Guard me so I don’t sink into darkness, I love you!”
Fighting back tears, he addressed his sons.
“Ariel, I hope you’re not angry with me for failing to protect you properly and for not being there for you. I hope you know I thought about you every day, every minute.”
He spoke of nine-month-old Kfir, recalling their cherished morning routines.
“Kfir, I love you the most in the world, always in the world! I have so many more things to tell you all, but I’ll save them for when we’re alone.”
The Bibas family’s final journey took them through Rishon Lezion, where mourners waved Israeli flags and released hundreds of orange balloons – a tribute to the brothers’ hair colour.
The motorcade passed through Yavne, Ashdod, and Ashkelon before reaching Sha’ar HaNegev, near the Gaza border.
In Tel Aviv, huge crowds gathered in Hostages Square to watch a live stream of the procession. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence was also illuminated in orange in their honor.
“While an entire nation prayed and hoped for a different outcome, we are left wounded and in pain,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
“Yet, even in our grief, we will continue to pray for better days and for the swift return of all the remaining hostages still held in Gaza.”
FRAGILE CEASEFIRE
The ongoing ceasefire between Israel and Hamas – announced on January 15 after 15 months of war – was brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt.
It aims to end the brutal fighting permanently and secure the release of hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The first phase of the agreement, set to last 42 days, includes a total of 33 hostage releases by Hamas in exchange for approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.
While the deal also allows humanitarian aid to flow in to Gaza and displaced civilians to return home, any misstep threatens to unravel months of delicate negotiations.
What happened on October 7?
ON OCTOBER 7, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal surprise attack on Israel, marking one of the darkest days in the nation’s history.
Terrorists stormed across the border from Gaza, killing over 1,200 people — most of them civilians — and kidnapping 250 others, including women, children, and the elderly.
The coordinated assault saw heavily armed fighters infiltrate Israeli towns, kibbutzim, and military bases, unleashing indiscriminate violence.
Innocent families were slaughtered in their homes, and graphic footage of the atrocities spread across social media, leaving the world in shock.
And as well as attacking people in their homes, they stormed the Nova music peace festival – killing at least 364 people there alone.
The massacre triggered a swift and massive retaliatory response from Israel, escalating into a full-scale war.
The attack not only reignited long-standing tensions in the region but also left deep scars on both sides of the conflict, setting the stage for the 15 months of devastation that followed.
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