Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed revenge after Hamas returned the bodies of four hostages, including infants, in a highly publicised handover. The move comes amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations and a deadly 16-month-long war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to eliminate Hamas after the group handed over the remains of four hostages, including the infant Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel. The boys were among the youngest taken during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel.
The bodies were returned in a highly choreographed public display, with armed Hamas militants overseeing the handover. The move drew condemnation from UN human rights chief Volker Turk, who called it “abhorrent and cruel.”
Israelis gathered in the rain near the Gaza border as the convoy carrying the coffins passed, while crowds in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square mourned the loss. “Our hearts — the hearts of an entire nation — lie in tatters,” said President Isaac Herzog.
Netanyahu, in a recorded address, declared that the four coffins underscored Israel’s commitment to ensuring there would be no repeat of the October 7 attack. “Our loved ones’ blood is shouting at us from the soil,” he said.
The return of the bodies came under the ongoing Gaza ceasefire agreement mediated by the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt. Hamas claims the Bibas family was killed in an Israeli airstrike last year, though Israel never confirmed their deaths.
Among those returned was 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz, a former journalist abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Israeli officials say he was murdered in captivity by the militant group Islamic Jihad. His wife, Yocheved, had been released weeks after their capture.
Thursday’s handover marks the first return of deceased hostages under the ceasefire deal. Israel expects six living hostages to be freed on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, mostly women and minors.
As negotiations continue, a second phase of talks is expected to discuss the fate of around 60 remaining hostages, fewer than half of whom are believed to be alive.
Three new sites in Africa — Malawi’s Mount Mulanje, Cameroon’s Diy-Gid-Biy cultural landscape, and the Bijagos Archipelago of Guinea-Bissau — ...
Sotheby’s in New York is set to auction the largest known piece of Mars ever found on Earth—a 54-pound (24.67 kg) meteorite named NWA 16788....
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese began his visit to China on Saturday by arriving in Shanghai with a large business delegation, highlighting...
A fire at a high-rise apartment building in Türkiye’s capital, Ankara, has killed three people — including a three-and-a-half-month-old baby — ...
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will visit Britain’s King Charles III from September 17 to 19, Buckingham Palace announced Sunda...
Three new sites in Africa — Malawi’s Mount Mulanje, Cameroon’s Diy-Gid-Biy cultural landscape, and the Bijagos Archipelago of Guinea-Bissau — have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Sotheby’s in New York is set to auction the largest known piece of Mars ever found on Earth—a 54-pound (24.67 kg) meteorite named NWA 16788.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese began his visit to China on Saturday by arriving in Shanghai with a large business delegation, highlighting the importance of economic relations between the two countries.
A fire at a high-rise apartment building in Türkiye’s capital, Ankara, has killed three people — including a three-and-a-half-month-old baby — and left dozens suffering from smoke inhalation, according to local media.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
A deadly mass shooting early on Monday (7 July) in Philadelphia's Grays Ferry neighbourhood left three men dead and nine others wounded, including teenagers, as more than 100 shots were fired.
Australian researchers have created a groundbreaking “biological AI” platform that could revolutionise drug discovery by rapidly evolving molecules within mammalian cells.
Dozens of international and domestic flights were cancelled or delayed after Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted on Monday, but Bali’s main airport remains operational.
French member of parliament Olivier Marleix was found dead at his home on Monday, with suicide being considered a possible cause.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing have told airlines that the fuel switch locks on Boeing aircraft are safe, despite new scrutiny following a deadly crash in India.
Syria's General Authority for Land and Sea Ports has signed an $800 million agreement with UAE's DP World to strengthen port infrastructure and logistical services, according to state news agency SANA.
Turkmenistan’s state oil concern “Türkmennebit” surpassed its oil production plan by 7.1% in the first quarter of 2025, achieving a fulfilment rate of 107.1%.
On July 11–12, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov took part in the “Dubrovnik Forum” held in Dubrovnik, Croatia, under the theme “Channelling the Change.”
Georgia and China have expressed interest in expanding cooperation in the fields of education, tourism, and cultural exchange, during a high-level meeting on the sidelines of a forum in Croatia.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment