Hamas hands over bodies of Israel's Bibas family, elderly hostage
They are Shiri Silberman, her two sons, Ariel and Kfir, who would be two and five years old today respectively, and Oded Lifshitz, an elderly man. All of them were kidnapped by terrorists during the attacks of October 7, 2023 and killed in captivity. The father of the family had also been kidnapped by Hamas, but was released alive a few weeks ago.
On Thursday, Hamas handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including a mother and her two children, whose fate had deeply shaken Israel since their abduction during the attack on October 7, 2023. The victims include Shiri Bibas, her sons Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz, an 83-year-old man. Kfir Bibas, who was just nine months old at the time of his capture, was the youngest hostage. Hamas says the four were killed along with their guards in Israeli airstrikes.
Grief and mourning in Israel
"Our hearts, the hearts of an entire nation, are broken," said Israeli President Isaac Herzog. "On behalf of the State of Israel, I bow my head and ask for forgiveness. Sorry for not protecting them on that terrible day. Sorry for not bringing them home safely."
The bodies were handed over in the Gaza Strip at a public ceremony, where Hamas militants displayed black coffins surrounded by banners, including an image of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu caricatured as a vampire. The coffins were transported in Red Cross vehicles to Israeli forces.
The Israeli army has begun a formal identification process through DNA testing, a procedure that could take up to two days. In the meantime, the victims' families will have to wait for official confirmation before holding funerals.
The tragedy of the Bibas and Oded Lifshitz family
Shiri Bibas was abducted along with her sons Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 9 months, during the Hamas attack. Her husband, Yarden Bibas, was abducted separately and released after 16 months in captivity. The family had celebrated Kfir and Ariel's birthdays during their captivity, holding out hope of seeing them alive again. The Israeli community showed solidarity by wearing orange in honour of the children's red hair and a children's song was written for them.
Oded Lifshitz, also kidnapped in the attack, was a journalist known for advocating for peace and Palestinian rights. His wife, Yocheved, was released in November 2023 during a ceasefire.
The 7 October 2023 Hamas attack resulted in the kidnapping of 251 people, including some 30 children, and the deaths of more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians. More than half of the hostages have been released through ceasefire agreements or negotiations, but dozens have been found dead, either in the initial attack or while in captivity.
The handover of the bodies has been a painful reminder of the lives lost in captivity, but could also influence talks to extend the ceasefire, the first phase of which is due to end in early March. Israel continues to face the challenge of recovering the remaining hostages and providing answers to families still awaiting news about their loved ones.
