THE body handed to Israel thought to be that of Shiri Bibas is “an anonymous body without identification,” the IDF said.
Shiri, 33, is the mother of the youngest Israeli hostage Kfir, 2, and his brother Ariel, 5, who were among those returned by Hamas on Thursday in a sickening spectacle.
Four coffins were displayed on a makeshift stage with a disturbing poster acting as a backdrop for the twisted parade
Mum Shiri Bibas was seen desperately clutching to Kfir and his brother Ariel as they were kidnapped on October 7
SuppliedYarden and Shiri Bibas with their two young boys before the family became hostages[/caption]
The Bibas family – Shiri, baby Kfir and four-year-old Ariel – with rescued husband and dad Yarden
The IDF said in a statement that the body Hamas claimed was Shiri Bibas is “an anonymous, unidentified body” with “no match” found for any other hostage.
The chilling X post added that this was a “violation of utmost severity” by Hamas “obligated under the agreement to return four deceased hostages” and demanded that the group “return Shiri home along with all our hostages”.
The IDF tragically confirmed the identification of Shiri’s young sons, Ariel and Kfir.
And, according to the IDF citing intelligence and forensic findings, the two little boys were “brutally murdered” by the Hamas thugs in November 2023.
Kfir was only nine months old when he was barbarically forced to spend the majority of his life as a Hamas prisoner.
Baby Kfir, Ariel and Shiri were kidnapped on October 7, alongside Yarden, Shiri’s husband and the boys’ father.
Shiri’s despairing face as she was kidnapped clutching her two children became a symbol for the horror of Oct 7.
The family were taken hostage together but the dad was quickly separated from his loved ones and put through 15 months of constant torment on his own.
Yarden, 34, was released on 1 February as part of the ceasefire deal and had been “clinging to hope” his young sons and wife would be freed soon after him – and alive.
The IDF confirmed that while Hamas’ violation would be “dealt with severely,” Saturday’s prisoner swap is expected to go ahead as planned.
On Thursday Hamas handed over the Israelis inside sickening black coffins with the faces of the hostages on them and a twisted image of Israel‘s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The IDF – who were given the coffins by Red Cross volunteers – said they had to screen the boxes “for security purposes” over potential bomb fears.
It was reported in local media that the coffins were all locked by Hamas before they gave them up.
Unverified claims also said the correct keys were not handed over – leaving the IDF having to pry open the boxes.
The harrowing spectacle this morning saw evil masked militants, dressed in their usual green balaclavas and combat gear, parading through the city of Khan Younis.
Hamas fighters stood in formation around a makeshift stage where the bodies were handed over to the Red Cross.
The vile militants lifted up a curtain to reveal the coffins on the platform.
A disturbing poster acted as a backdrop for the twisted parade which again showed the PM and the four brave hostages.
Hundreds of men, women and children gathered in the devastated Gaza strip to watch the release as official documents verifying the transfer were signed.
Hamas have spent the first few weeks of the hostage deal celebrating each trade by making chilling propaganda videos – with today being viewed by many as the most deplorable of all.
They’ll regret it
Exclusive by Nick Parker
WHAT are the cornered Hamas rats thinking when they line up the coffins of murdered children in front of a picture of Benjamin Netanyahu as a blood-soaked vampire?
Do they really think stunts like this will garner more support from their deluded followers, who believe Israel is the epitome of all evil?
Do they think twisting the knife in the open wounds of an Israeli public struggling to contain its grief will weaken their enemy?
On both counts they are wrong and the more they bait and wind up Israel, the more they will come to regret it in the fullness of time.
Hamas and its death cult ideology is a spent force and making Israelis weep with anger may be its only remaining weapon — and one which will soon by turned against them.
The gamechanger in the Middle East is US President Donald Trump. He is 200 per cent on Israel’s side.
Israelis mourning the deaths of children, their mother and a peace campaigner should at least take comfort — evil Hamas will not be allowed to run Gaza much longer.
Israeli politician IItamar Ben Gvir even said Hamas should be marched to “the gates of hell” due to the harrowing handover ceremony.
The bodies are now with the IDF back in Israel after they held a short military ceremony back in the Gaza Strip.
Images show troops paying their respects as they draped the coffins in Israeli flags before sending them off to Tel Aviv just after 1:30pm local time (11:30am GMT).
Touching footage of the moment a motorcade supported by Israeli troops passed across the border showed how dozens of police officers saluted as the coffins were driven past.
A family left in turmoil
The loved ones of the Bibas brothers and mum are said to be in “turmoil” after all three tragically died while in Hamas captivity.
The whole family sheltered inside their home on Kibbutz Nir Oz when Hamas fiends rampaged through southern Israel on October 7.
They kept anxious relatives elsewhere in Israel updated by text message as gunmen stormed through neighbours’ homes.
A short time later a horrific video emerged of Shiri looking utterly terrified and crying as she clung to her two sons while Hamas gunmen led them away from the family home.
Relatives had been clinging onto hope despite having no proof of life over the family for months.
That hope was extinguished this week with confirmation that the mother and boys – who had been on the list for release in the first six-week phase of the ceasefire – were dead.
The fourth body returned was 84-year-old retired journalist and peace activist Oded Lifschitz.
He was snatched from kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel, along with this wife, Yocheved, 85, on October 7.
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.
The casket of Kfir Bibas being taken to Red Cross volunteers by masked Hamas militants
Armed Hamas militants stand next to a Red Cross vehicle as the bodies of the hostages are taken back to Israel
The coffins were returned to Israel as IDF soldiers paid tribute Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
