Shiri Bibas returns: Family confirms identity of body handed over by Hamas

Shiri Bibas’s family confirmed on Friday that Hamas had returned her body overnight. Her two young sons also died in captivity.

Earlier, Hamas claimed to have handed over Bibas’s remains along with those of her sons and another hostage. However, Israeli tests found that one set of remains belonged to an unidentified Palestinian woman instead.

The Bibas family became a symbol of Israel’s suffering after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack. A widely shared image from that day showed Shiri clutching her sons, Ariel and Kfir, as armed militants took them into Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the mistaken return of remains as a “cruel and malicious violation” of the ceasefire agreement. He vowed retaliation, further raising tensions in Israel and Gaza.

“We will work to bring Shiri home with all our hostages—both living and dead—and ensure Hamas pays the full price for this cruel violation,” Netanyahu declared. “The sacred memory of Oded Lifshitz, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas will be forever enshrined. May God avenge their blood. And so we will avenge.”

Late Friday, Hamas said it had handed over the correct remains to the Red Cross, which transferred them to Israel for testing. Israel’s Institute of Forensic Medicine confirmed the identification early Saturday.

Following this, the Bibas family issued a statement: “Last night, our Shiri was returned home.”

Despite rising tensions, Israel and Hamas continued exchanging Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners on Saturday. The militant group was set to release six hostages at the Rafah border to the Red Cross.