by Admin
Feb 20, 2025
In a dramatic development, Israel has received the remains of four hostages who were taken alive by Hamas during its October 7, 2023 assault.
This marks the first instance since last month’s ceasefire that the militant group has returned captives in dead condition.
According to Hamas, the coffins belong to members of the Bibas family—a mother and her two young sons, whose fate has captivated the nation—and to 84‑year‑old Oded Lifschitz, a veteran peace activist. Israeli authorities plan to confirm the identities after conducting forensic examinations.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lamented, “The heart of the entire nation is torn,” adding that the country is confronting “monsters.”
While six living hostages are scheduled for release on Saturday, the current handover was staged in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
In a carefully orchestrated scene reminiscent of previous exchanges, four black coffins were displayed on a stage adorned with propaganda for a crowd of spectators.
A Red Cross official was seen signing documents alongside armed Hamas fighters before the coffins were transported in Red Cross vehicles.
They were subsequently handed over to Israeli forces in Gaza and then brought into Israel, where the public lined the streets waving Israeli flags and symbolic yellow banners to bid farewell as a police convoy passed by.
The bodies have now been moved to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Jaffa for post-mortem examinations.
Earlier, the International Red Cross had urged Hamas to conduct a dignified transfer amid widespread criticism of its recent methods of releasing hostages.
The handover has reignited painful memories. Reports—unconfirmed by the Israeli government—suggest that Shiri Bibas, 33, and her two sons, aged five and two, may have died.
In November 2023, Hamas had claimed they were killed in an Israeli air strike, though no evidence was presented, and then‑official Benny Gantz noted that the claim lacked confirmation.
The Bibas family had been abducted along with the father, Yarden, from kibbutz Nir Oz when hundreds of Hamas gunmen invaded from the border, attacking communities, security installations, and even a music festival.
In the initial assault, approximately 1,200 people mostly civilians lost their lives, and 251 individuals were taken back to Gaza as hostages.
Israel has since embarked on a large-scale military campaign against Hamas, a conflict that, according to the Hamas‑run health ministry, has already claimed the lives of at least 48,297 Palestinians, predominantly civilians.