Hamas releases bodies of Israeli hostages, including the Bibas family

Hamas on Thursday released the bodies of four deceased Israeli hostages, said to include the Bibas family — a mother and her two children who have long been feared dead.

Militants displayed four black coffins on stage surrounded by banners, including a large one depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a vampire, before handing the coffins over to Red Cross vehicles.

The bodies have been identified by Hamas as Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, as well as Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was abducted.

All three were captured from the Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel when Hamas militants launched an attack on 7 October 2

Kfir, who was 9 months old when captured, was the youngest hostage taken into the Gaza Strip.

Israeli authorities will now confirm the identities of the victims using DNA, which is expected to take up to two days.

Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of those captured, said Wednesday that it had received the “heart-shattering news” that the Bibas family were among the four dead hostages expected to be releas

“It is with great sadness that we received the news of the return of Shiri, Kfir and Ariel Bibas, along with Oded Lifshitz, who were kidnapped alive and will return deceased for eternal rest in Israel,” the forum said in a statement.

Relatives of the Bibas family said in a statement on Wednesday that they would wait for the “identification procedure” before acknowledging their loved ones were dead.

Shortly before releasing the hostages, Hamas said in a statement that the four hostages had been killed in Israeli strikes.

The group says it did “everything in (its) power to protect” the hostages and “preserve their lives”

Hamas-led militants abducted 251 hostages, including 30 children, in the 7 October attack, in which they also killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

More than half of the hostages have been released in ceasefire agreements or through other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight and uncovered the bodies of dozens of hostages who died in the initial attack or captivity.

Twenty-four living hostages have been released in recent weeks under the first phase of a tenuous ceasefire that paused 15 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas.

On Saturday, Hamas is set to free six living hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The militant group also said it would release four bodies next week, which would mark the completion of the ceasefire’s first phase.

Some 60 hostages, all men, around half of whom are believed to be dead, remain in Gaza. Hamas has said it won’t release them without a lasting ceasefire and complete Israeli withdrawal.

For his part, Netanyahu has said he is committed to destroying Hamas’ military and governing capacities and returning all of the hostages.