In a poignant turn of events, Hamas has announced it will return the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including members of the Bibas family. The Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, declared on Wednesday that the handover would take place on Thursday.
Abu Obeida, the group’s spokesperson, stated, “The bodies of the Bibas family will be handed over Thursday, in addition to the body of the detained Israeli prisoner Oded Lifshitz.”
The hostages include Shiri Bibas and her two sons, nine-month-old Kfir and four-year-old Ariel. They were taken from their home in Nir Oz, a community near the Gaza border, during an attack on October 7, 2023. Shiri’s husband, Yarden Bibas, was also kidnapped but was released in early February under a ceasefire deal.
The fourth individual is Oded Lifshitz, an 84-year-old retired journalist. He was abducted along with his wife, Yocheved Lifshitz, who was released by Hamas in October 2023.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed sorrow over the news. “Tomorrow will be a very difficult day for the state of Israel. A shocking day, a day of sorrow. We are bringing home four of our beloved hostages, fallen hostages,” he said. “We grieve, we hurt, but we are also determined to ensure that something like this will never happen again.”
The four were among 251 people kidnapped during the Hamas-led attack on Israeli communities. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad claim they were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
This event comes as part of the first phase of a ceasefire agreement that began on January 19. Israel is expected to release Palestinian women and minors held in Israeli prisons in exchange for the return of the bodies.
