by Admin Feb 21, 2025 Israel has accused Hamas of breaching a ceasefire agreement after forensic tests confirmed that one of the bodies returned from Gaza on Thursday was not that of Shiri Bibas. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the three other bodies handed over were those of her sons, Ariel and Kfir aged five and two, respectively, and veteran peace activist Oded Lifschitz, 84. However, on the contrary, the fourth body was neither Shiri nor any other known hostage. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alleged that Hamas had placed “the body of a Gazan woman in a coffin” instead of Shiri. In response, Hamas spokesman Ismail al-Thwabta stated on X that Shiri’s remains might have been mixed with other bodies under the rubble following an Israeli airstrike. Prodesq News Agency gathered that Hamas reiterated that it would investigate how the wrong remains were sent to Israel while reiterating its earlier claim that Shiri and her children were killed in an Israeli bombing. However, Israel countered on Thursday that intelligence and forensic evidence indicated the boys “were brutally murdered by terrorists in captivity in November 2023.” Prodesq News Agency gathered that Israel has demanded the return of Shiri Bibas, regardless of her condition. “Whether she is alive or not, they need to bring back Shiri Bibas,” IDF international spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said. Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to act decisively to bring back all hostages, both living and deceased, and ensure that Hamas “pays the full price for this cruel and evil violation of the agreement.” In a statement, Hamas affirmed its “seriousness and full commitment” to its obligations and denied any intention of breaching the deal. Shortly afterward, the group announced the names of six hostages set to be released on Saturday, including two who have been held for over a decade. The IDF reiterated on X that the additional body received on Thursday did not belong to Shiri Bibas and did not match any other hostage. “This is a violation of utmost severity by the Hamas terrorist organization, which is obligated under the agreement to return four deceased hostages,” the statement read. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum expressed shock and devastation, stating that they had desperately hoped for Shiri’s return as part of the agreement. Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas aged 32, four, and nine months, respectively were among those kidnapped during Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Their case has become a symbol of national grief in Israel. The children’s father, Yarden Bibas, 34, was released by Hamas on February 1. Israel has confirmed that the fourth body returned on Thursday belonged to Lifschitz, a well-known peace activist.
Israel Accuses Hamas of Ceasefire Violation Over Wrong Body Return
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