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According to the reports in Friday (21 February), Israel’s military has stated that one of the four bodies returned by Hamas on Thursday (20 February) was not that of Shiri Bibas, calling it an “anonymous” body and demanding her actual remains. Hamas had claimed it handed over the bodies of four hostages, including Bibas and her two sons, Ariel and Kfir. However, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed that while the children were identified, the third body did not belong to Bibas or any other known hostage. The body of the fourth hostage was identified as 85-year-old Oded Lifshitz, a journalist and activist for Palestinian rights.
The Bibas family has become a symbol of Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, when they were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel. Hamas has claimed that Bibas and her children were killed in an Israeli airstrike, but Israel maintains that forensic testing confirmed they were killed by Hamas. The failure to return her remains has been described as a severe violation by the IDF and U.S. officials, further complicating the ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
Following this development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered intensified military operations in the occupied West Bank. This decision came hours after three parked buses exploded in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv, in what Israeli authorities suspect was a terrorist attack. There were no casualties, but the incident has heightened tensions and led to an Israeli crackdown on suspected militant hubs. The situation has raised concerns about the stability of the current ceasefire.
Hamas was scheduled to release six more living hostages on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. However, it is now unclear whether this exchange will proceed as planned. The first phase of the ceasefire is nearing its end, and negotiations for a second phase, which could involve the release of 60 remaining hostages and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops, were expected to begin soon. The failure to return Bibas’ body and the rising tensions may threaten the fragile truce and future peace efforts.
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