One of the four bodies returned from Gaza to Israel on Thursday is not that of hostage Shiri Bibas, as Hamas had claimed, the Israeli military stated.
The return of the bodies sparked grief in Israel, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that Bibas’ two sons, Ariel and Kfir, were among them. However, the third body was unidentified and did not belong to their mother. The IDF demanded Hamas return her remains along with the other remaining hostages.
According to Israeli intelligence, the two boys were murdered in captivity in November 2023, contradicting Hamas’ claim that they were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Their father, Yarden Bibas, was released earlier this month.
Israel verified that the fourth body was that of peace activist Oded Lifshitz. The exchange was part of a ceasefire deal, with Israel expecting more bodies to be returned. So far, 28 hostages and over 1,000 prisoners have been exchanged, while 66 hostages from the October 7 attacks remain in Gaza, about half of whom are believed to be alive.
Meanwhile, in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, three buses exploded in a suspected terror attack. Israeli police reported that devices in two other buses failed to detonate, and no casualties were reported. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an “intensive operation against centers of terrorism” in the West Bank in response.
