Israeli officials identify the remains of child hostages released as part of deal

MIDDLE EAST CEASEFIRE

A man holds a stuffed bear at the so-called “Hostages Square” in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Thursday after the bodies of four Israeli hostages were handed over in Gaza. ODED BALILTY — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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JERUSALEM >> The remains of two child hostages have been identified but another body released by Hamas was not the boys’ mother, the Israeli military said.

Hamas militants had turned over four bodies Thursday under the tenuous ceasefire that has paused over 15 months of war. Israeli confirmed one body was that of Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was abducted during the Hamas attack that started the war on Oct. 7, 2023.

The remains of Ariel and Kfir Bibas were identified by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in collaboration with the Israel Police and the families were notified, the Israeli Defense Forces said in a statement. It said the boys were killed in captivity in November 2023.

But the additional body was not that of their mother Shiri Bibas, nor any other hostage, the military said.

“This is a violation of utmost severity by the Hamas terrorist organization, which is obligated under the agreement to return four deceased hostages,” the Israeli military said in a statement early Friday. “We demand that Hamas return Shiri home along with all our hostages.”

Hamas officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

Many people wiped away tears and softly sang the national anthem as the caravan wound through southern Israel — a stark contrast to the celebratory return of 24 living hostages in recent weeks under a tenuous ceasefire that has paused over 15 months of war.

The handover was a grim reminder of those who died in captivity and could provide momentum for the second stage of the ceasefire negotiations. The first phase of the month-old truce between Israel and Hamas is set to end at the beginning of March.

The remains released Thursday were presumed to include Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir — and the Israeli government confirmed that one of the bodies returned was of Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was abducted. Kfir, who was 9 months old when he was kidnapped, was the youngest captive.

Hamas has said that all four were killed along with their guards in Israeli airstrikes. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Thursday that Lifshitz was killed in captivity by the Islamic Jihad militant group.

In Tel Aviv where the bodies were transported, a double rainbow unfolded across the sky just before sunset. Thousands of people gathered at the city’s Hostage Square and recited traditional mourning prayers. Some held orange balloons, in honor of the Bibas boys, and the crowd swelled after sundown as musicians performed subdued ballads, matching the nation’s grief.