According to the reports on Saturday (22 February), Hamas has released two Israeli hostages, Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu, as part of the ongoing ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The handover occurred in Rafah, Gaza, where masked Hamas fighters brought the captives onto a stage before transferring them into Red Cross ambulances. Mengistu, an Ethiopian-Israeli, had been held in Gaza since 2014 after crossing into the area on his own. His family, watching the release on Israeli media, broke into song upon seeing him, celebrating his return after a decade. Shoham, who was taken hostage during the October 7, 2023 attack while visiting his wife’s family in Kibbutz Be’eri, was also reunited with his family, who expressed relief at his return.
As part of the deal, 602 Palestinian prisoners are set to be released, including some serving life sentences. However, the exchange has been overshadowed by controversy surrounding the misidentification of the remains of Shiri Bibas. Initially, Hamas handed over what was believed to be her body along with those of her sons, Ariel and Kfir, who were also abducted during the October 7 attack. But Israeli authorities later confirmed the remains were not Bibas’s, but rather those of an unidentified Palestinian woman. This mix-up caused widespread anger in Israel, leading the Bibas family to express their heartbreak upon finally receiving confirmation that Shiri’s remains were indeed returned.
The family of Shiri Bibas, who had been in a prolonged state of uncertainty, confirmed early Saturday (22 February) that the remains now returned to Israel were of their beloved mother and partner. In a statement released through the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, they described Shiri as “a wonderful mother to Ariel and Kfir, a loving partner to Yarden, a devoted sister and aunt, and an amazing friend.” They had continued to hope for closure, but despite the painful truth, they expressed deep sorrow, unable to find comfort from the return of Shiri’s body. They had endured nearly 16 months of anguish since the abduction, with the uncertainty of their loved ones’ fate, finally broken by the confirmation of her death.
This incident has added a new layer of tension to the already fragile ceasefire. While Hamas confirmed that the two hostages were released in Rafah, four more are expected to be freed in Nuseirat, central Gaza. Despite the exchange, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Hamas for violating the ceasefire over the body mix-up. Netanyahu promised retaliation, citing the “cruel and malicious” nature of the violation. The growing tensions and the misidentification of bodies have cast a shadow over the future of the ceasefire deal, with both Israel and Hamas remaining entrenched in their positions. The war, which has devastated Gaza, has left thousands dead and displaced millions, and the ongoing political disputes complicate the prospects of rebuilding or further negotiations.
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