The bodies of Hamas’ youngest hostage Kfir Bibas and his brother have been officially identified, but the third body returned to Israel is not that of their mother.
Hamas returned the bodies of four hostages to Israel yesterday with the fourth being identified as the 83-year-old journalist Oded Lifschitz.Â
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) confirmed that the unidentified body was not Shiri Bibas, the mother of the children, whose body was also expected to be handed over. The military stated that the body did not correspond to any other hostage and its identity remains a mystery.
The Israeli military released a statement clarifying the situation: ‘After the identification process, it was determined that the extra body received does not belong to Shiri Bibas, and no connection was found to any other hostage. This body remains anonymous and unidentified.
Kfir Bibas was just nine-months-old when he was kidnapped from a kibbutz on October 7 along with his mother and his four-year-old brother Ariel.Â
The children’s father Yarden Bibas was released by Hamas earlier this month as part of the ceasefire deal.
Hamas has claimed they were all killed in israeli airstrikes a the start of the war.Â
Due to Kfir being the youngest of the hostages taken on October 7 the Bibas Family had become amongst the most famous of the 251 Israelis taken to Gaza by Hamas on October 7.Â
The Bibas family, father Yarden Bibas , mother Shiri, baby Kfir and four-year-old Ariel
Kfir Bibas was just nine-months-old when he was kidnapped from a kibbutz on October 7 along with his mother, Shiri Bibas, and his four-year-old brother Ariel
Due to Kfir being the youngest of the hostages taken on October 7 the Bibas Family had become amongst the most famous of the 251 Israelis taken to Gaza by Hamas on October 7
The four coffins were displayed to crowds in front of disturbing propaganda posters before being handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) by armed Hamas fighters.
They were then transferred to the Israeli military inside Gaza, where they were checked and draped in Israeli flags, before being driven across the border into Israel. They were welcomed home by flag-waving Israelis, who lined the convoy’s route.
Thousands of people, including large numbers of masked and armed fighters, had gathered at the site in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, to watch the chilling handover ceremony, filming, cheering and waving banners.
Condemning the horrific scenes, UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement that ‘under international law, any handover of the remains of deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families.’Â
Hamas had previously claimed in November 2023 that the mother and her children had been killed in an Israeli airstrike, though never presented any evidence, and Israel never confirmed their deaths. Â Â
In a statement the IDFÂ said: ‘Following the completion of the identification process by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in collaboration with the Israel Police, IDF representatives informed the Bibas family that their loved ones, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, have been identified.
‘According to the assessment of professional officials, based on the intelligence available to us and forensic findings from the identification process, Ariel and Kfir Bibas were brutally murdered by terrorists in captivity in November 2023.
IDF officers salute by the coffins after receiving the bodies of the Hamas hostages during the handover process
This undated photo provided by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum shows Israeli hostage Oded Lifshitz who was abducted and brought to Gaza on October 7, 2023
Israelis gathered near the National Forensic Institute, where the identification process is set to be carried out after Hamas handed over the bodies of 4 Israeli hostages
‘During the identification process, it was determined that the additional body received is not that of Shiri Bibas, and no match was found for any other hostage. This is an anonymous, unidentified body.
‘This is a violation of utmost severity by the Hamas terrorist organization, which is obligated under the agreement to return four deceased hostages. We demand that Hamas return Shiri home along with all our hostages.
‘Ariel Bibas was four years old at the time of his death, and Kfir Bibas was ten months old at the time of his death. They were abducted with their mother, Shiri Bibas, from their home in Nir Oz. Yarden Bibas, Ariel and Kfir’s father, went out to protect them and was abducted prior to the abduction of Shiri and the children. Yarden returned as part of the agreement for the return of the hostages on February 1, 2025.
‘We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Bibas family during this incredibly difficult time and remain committed to doing everything possible to ensure Shiri and all the hostages are brought home at the earliest opportunity.’
It is estimated 66 hostages taken on October 7 being held by Hamas. About half of all the hostages still in Gaza are believed to be alive.Â
On October 7 2023 Hamas launched an attack into Israel killing over 1,000 Israelis and took a further 251 as hostages.
In response Israel launched a military campaign against Gaza which has killed at least 48,247 Palestinians Â
