Hamas Displays 4 Black Coffins Ahead of Hostage Remains Handover

Hamas handed over the bodies of four hostages, including a mother and her two children, to the Red Cross on Thursday.

The transfer of the bodies was the first such handover of remains by Hamas since its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel triggered the war.

The bodies of Shiri Bibas, 33, and her two sons, Ariel and Kfir, who were four years and nine months old respectively at the time of their capture, were among those returned. The fourth body was that of 84-year-old Oded Lifshitz, a retired journalist and peace activist. Hamas has claimed that the Bibas family members were killed in an Israeli airstrike, but this has not been independently verified. It is unclear how Lifshitz died.

The Context

The Bibas family became a symbol of the hostage crisis in Israel, with widespread public campaigns calling for their safe return. The family's ordeal captured national attention, with images of the two red-haired children displayed across Israeli cities.

Shiri, Ariel and Kfir have long been feared dead. Kfir was the youngest captive of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants during the October 7 attack, in which some 1,200 people were also killed. Shiri's husband, Yarden Bibas, was taken separately and released earlier in February.

What To Know

Hamas presented the four bodies in black coffins during a staged ceremony in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. The event was attended by masked Hamas gunmen and there was a banner behind the coffins depicting an altered image of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the hostages. The International Committee of the Red Cross then facilitated the transfer of the bodies to Israeli officials.

Israeli authorities are conducting forensic examinations in Tel Aviv to confirm the identities and determine the causes of death.

Israeli officials have not confirmed Hamas' claim that the Bibas family was killed in an airstrike. The Bibas family released a statement saying they would wait for "identification procedures" before officially acknowledging their loved ones' deaths.

Oded Lifshitz's wife, Yocheved, who was also kidnapped but freed earlier, had previously described their abduction as "a nightmare beyond words." Lifshitz had long been an advocate for peace and Palestinian rights.

In exchange for the return of the bodies, Israel is expected to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including those serving life sentences and detainees held without charge. This swap is part of a larger ceasefire deal that also includes Hamas agreeing to release six living hostages on Saturday and four additional bodies next week.

What People Are Saying

In a statement Hamas said: "These steps reflect the seriousness of [our] commitment to implementing the terms of the agreement."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "We hug the families, and the heart of an entire nation is torn. My heart is torn. Yours too. And the heart of the entire world needs to be torn, because here we see who we are dealing with, what we are dealing with, what monsters we are dealing with."

What Happens Next

The first phase of the ceasefire is set to conclude in early March, with an estimated 59 hostages still held in Gaza. Hamas has demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal and a lasting ceasefire in exchange for releasing the remaining captives.

The future of the ceasefire remains uncertain, as Netanyahu has reiterated his goal of dismantling Hamas' military capabilities. Meanwhile, the destruction in Gaza continues to leave thousands displaced, complicating negotiations on the region's future governance and security.

This article contains reporting by The Associated Press