Hamas returned the remains of four Israeli hostages on Thursday, marking the first time the group has handed over deceased captives since the October 7, 2023, attack.
Among those whose bodies were repatriated was 32-year-old Shiri Bibas, who was abducted alongside her two young sons, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, just 9 months old, from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, southern Israel.
Their disappearance over 16 months ago turned them into some of the most well-known symbols of the October 7 attack.
The fourth hostage, Oded Lifshitz, was 83 when he and his wife, Yocheved Lifshitz, were taken from the same kibbutz. Yocheved was released by Hamas on October 24, 2023.
In a public display, Hamas militants placed four black caskets on a stage in Khan Younis, with a backdrop displaying slogans in Arabic, Hebrew, and English.
The caskets were first handed over to the Red Cross before being transferred to the Israeli military, which transported them to Israel.
As the convoy carrying the remains moved through the country, crowds gathered, many waving Israeli flags in a show of support.
Upon arrival, the bodies were taken to the Abu Kabir National Center for Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv, where experts will formally confirm their identities.
Reacting to the tragic return, Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed the nation’s collective grief. “Agony. Pain. There are no words,” he wrote on X, adding that the country’s hearts “lie in tatters” and seeking forgiveness for the government’s failure to protect those taken hostage on October 7.
Hamas previously claimed in November 2023 that an Israeli airstrike had killed the Bibas children and their mother, though no evidence was ever provided. Israel has not confirmed their cause of death.
The boys’ father, Yarden Bibas, who spent 484 days in captivity, was released earlier this month as part of the January 2025 ceasefire agreement.
Symbols of the October 7 Tragedy
At just 9 months old, Kfir Bibas was the youngest hostage taken into Gaza and the youngest to have lost his life. A widely circulated image of him, smiling with a pink elephant toy in his hands, became emblematic of the hostage crisis.
His brother Ariel, 4, was also remembered through a poignant photograph taken at a barbershop, wrapped in a cape just after a haircut.
Known for his love of Batman, his earlier pictures with long red hair became powerful visuals in international awareness campaigns.
These images were displayed in Times Square, printed on protest T-shirts in London and Berlin, and even presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
The family’s abduction was also captured in a chilling video that showed Shiri Bibas clutching her children tightly as they were taken away.
Another video, released by the Israel Defense Forces, allegedly showed the mother and sons alive in southern Gaza on the same day. The footage depicted a figure wrapped in a blanket, carrying a child while being ordered around by armed militants before being driven away.
Despite a temporary ceasefire in November 2023 that called for the release of all women and children, Shiri and her boys were not freed.
The IDF suggested at the time that they may have been held by a group other than Hamas.
A few days after Hamas’ claim of their deaths, the group released a distressing video of Yarden Bibas, the boys’ father, blaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his family’s fate.
His visible distress raised concerns that he had been coerced into making the statement.
Following his release, Yarden made an emotional plea to the world:
“Sadly, my family hasn’t returned to me yet. They are still there. My light is still there, and as long as they’re there, everything here is dark. Thanks to you, I was brought back – help me bring the light back to my life.”
Controversy Over Announcement
The handover of the four bodies was overshadowed by tensions between the Bibas family and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. The family accused officials of disclosing the names of the deceased without their consent.
A source from the Prime Minister’s Office told CNN that while there was no official statement from the government, IDF liaison officers had authorized the release of the names to journalists without first consulting the family.
The Bibas family later issued a statement urging the public to wait for final forensic confirmation before mourning their loved ones publicly. The identification process is expected to be completed in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the Lifshitz family released a statement expressing their grief, “These are not easy times for us, after we were informed that our beloved Oded is on the list of the hostages who will return to Israel tomorrow, after being kidnapped alive from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz.”
