Israel has accused Hamas of violating a ceasefire agreement after discovering that one of the bodies handed over during Thursday’s exchange did not belong to any known hostage. The military is demanding the return of the missing remains.
The Israeli military confirmed on Friday that while two of the bodies returned by Hamas were identified as infant Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel, a third body—expected to be their mother, Shiri—did not match any known hostage. The military called it “a violation of utmost severity” and demanded the return of all hostages.
Hamas has not yet responded to the accusation.
The handover took place as part of a ceasefire agreement brokered by the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt. The bodies, including that of hostage Oded Lifshitz, were delivered in a highly publicized event attended by armed Hamas militants and Palestinian crowds. The display drew international condemnation, with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres calling it “abhorrent and appalling.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation, saying the “four coffins” reinforced Israel’s commitment to ensuring that Hamas would never be able to repeat the October 7 attack.
Tensions Over Hostage Exchange
The Bibas children were reportedly killed in Hamas captivity in November 2023.
Lifshitz, an 83-year-old former journalist, was murdered over a year ago, according to forensic officials.
The handover marked the first return of bodies under the current ceasefire agreement.
Israelis gathered near the Gaza border and in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square to mourn, as President Isaac Herzog described the nation’s grief: “Our hearts lie in tatters.”
Meanwhile, negotiations for a second phase of the ceasefire continue, with plans to release six living hostages on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Talks on the release of around 60 remaining hostages and a potential Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza are expected in the coming days.
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