Body of Israeli hostage identified after Hamas ‘mix-up'
The family of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas says it has identified the woman's remains after Hamas initially handed over the wrong body earlier this week. In a statement released on Saturday, her relatives claimed that Bibas had been 'murdered in captivity'.
On Thursday, as part of ongoing exchanges under a volatile ceasefire agreement, Hamas returned the bodies of four hostages, including Bibas' two young sons, Ariel and Kfir. However, the body believed to be that of Shiri Bibas was later identified as that of an unidentified Palestinian woman, leading to outrage in Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the incident, describing it as a 'cruel and evil violation' of the ceasefire agreement and warned that Hamas would pay 'the full price' for failing to bring Babas' body home.
Hamas acknowledged the mistake, admitting 'the possibility of an error or mix-up of bodies' in the rubble after the place she was being held was hit in an Israeli airstrike. Hamas stressed that it remains committed to the ceasefire agreement and pledged to rectify the mistake.
On Friday, the Associated Press reported that the Palestinian group handed over The woman's remains to the Red Cross which forwarded it to Israeli authorities. In a statement released on Saturday morning, Bibas' family confirmed the handover, stating that 'Last night, our Shiri was returned home.'
'Following the identification process at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, we received this morning the news we had dreaded - our Shiri was murdered in captivity and has now returned home to her sons, husband, sister, and all her family for rest,' the family said.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas escalated in October 2023, after the Palestinian militants attacked Israeli territories near Gaza, killing some 1,200 people and taking 250 more hostage. Since then, Israel has waged a large-scale campaign against Hamas in Gaza, which has resulted in nearly 47,000 casualties, according to the enclave's health authorities.
Thursday's release marked the first time Hamas had returned bodies to Israel since the Gaza ceasefire agreement was announced last month. The overall framework of the deal involves the release of 33 Israeli hostages and about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas is expected to release six Israeli hostages this weekend, which would complete the first phase of the current ceasefire agreement. Next week, Hamas is expected to release the remains of four more hostages.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
US sanctions ICC judges: RT examines why (VIDEO)
The US has imposed sanctions on four International Criminal Court (ICC) judges for their involvement in war crimes investigations targeting Washington's close ally Israel. RT has examined these actions, which critics say expose the West's double standards. In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for allegedly committing grave atrocities in Gaza, including using starvation as a method of warfare, in response to the deadly 2023 raid by Hamas. Israel, which is not a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the ICC, argued that the court lacks jurisdiction over its citizens. In February, Washington sanctioned the ICC and its top prosecutor, Karim Khan, over the arrest warrants, and earlier this month extended sanctions on four judges behind the probe into Israel's actions in Gaza. The US State Department described the probe as an 'illegitimate and baseless' action against the US and Israel. RT has found that the latest US sanctions follow a familiar pattern. Two of the newly sanctioned judges previously authorized an ICC probe into alleged crimes committed by US troops in Afghanistan. At the time, Washington fiercely opposed the investigation, imposing sanctions on ICC officials and pressuring the Afghan government to oppose the court's jurisdiction. The ICC eventually dropped the US from the case in 2021, saying it 'decided' to focus instead on investigating the Taliban and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). The current sanctions seem to reflect a strategy in which the US shields itself and its allies from accountability while selectively backing the ICC when convenient. Washington praised the court when it issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023. Critics argue that though the ICC was originally intended to serve as a global moral compass, it has become no more than a lapdog for Western powers, serving their geopolitical interests. The US does not recognize the court's jurisdiction, but has pressured other nations to comply. In 2016, then-State Department spokesman John Kirby condemned Burundi's attempt to withdraw from the court, warning that doing so would 'isolate Burundi from the international community.' Watch the full RT report below.
Russia Today
04-06-2025
- Russia Today
Germany reports spike in anti-Semitism
The number of anti-Semitic incidents recorded in Germany surged by around 77% in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to a report by watchdog RIAS. The authors linked the spike to 'collective blame' over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. The document, published on Wednesday, recorded a total of 8,627 anti-Semitic incidents in the country last year, up from 4,886 in 2023. 'The extent and quality of anti-Semitic incidents in Germany in 2024 were very similar to the situation in the first months after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel,' the watchdog said, noting that the Gaza conflict 'became a pretext for many people to make anti-Semitic statements.' 'For Jews in Germany, anti-Semitism remains a phenomenon that shapes everyday life,' the report stated. RIAS said the increase was especially visible in anti-Israel activism. It recorded 5,857 instances tied to anti-Semitism at protests, through posters and stickers, and at schools and universities. Cases targeting Jews and Israelis directly nearly tripled in two years, it said, from 331 in 2022 to 966 last year. The number of right-wing extremism-linked cases hit a record 544 since tracking began in 2020. RIAS recorded eight cases of extreme personal violence, 186 assaults, and 300 threats. Reported incidents also included vandalized Holocaust memorials and anti-Semitic graffiti. Germany's federal police also track anti-Semitic crimes, though only if they meet criminal thresholds. The agency logged a 20.7% increase in crimes against Jews in 2024 compared to the year prior, with 6,236 incidents. Josef Schuster, the president of the Central Council of Jews, said the RIAS report 'bears witness to a daily life that is increasingly characterized by hostility and hatred for many Jews.' He called for more training for police and the judiciary to better identify and prevent these incidents. German Anti-Semitism Commissioner Felix Klein, who previously linked the rise in anti-Semitic incidents to the country's growing Muslim population, said the Gaza war has come to 'serve as a justification' for anti-Semitic acts. 'It's a sad trend that every year we hear how sharply the number of anti-Semitic incidents has risen,' Klein said. 'The increase in 2024 was particularly striking – hatred against Jews in Germany has normalized to a shameful level.' He called for a stronger, more focused effort to counter the trend. Germany is home to an estimated 125,000 Jews.
Russia Today
03-06-2025
- Russia Today
Israel losing most steadfast EU supporter
Germany is rethinking its military and trade ties with Israel, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. The 'surprising' pivot from one of the Jewish state's staunchest supporters comes amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and growing frustration in Berlin over Israel's actions. 'German anger' rose in mid-May as Israel intensified its campaign against Hamas while continuing to block humanitarian aid, according to information obtained by Bloomberg. Germany has adhered to a long-standing policy that protecting Israel is a post-Holocaust obligation. It has also been Israel's largest European arms supplier and one of its top trade partners. In Germany's first such public comments since the war began 20 months ago, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said last week that the humanitarian situation could 'no longer be justified by a fight against Hamas terrorism.' During a phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, Merz urged the Israeli prime minister to allow 'sufficient humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip immediately.' 'This is a real marker of how things have moved,' Julien Barnes-Dacey of the European Council on Foreign Relations told Bloomberg. 'It's simply become impossible for most European governments to continue supporting Israel's war despite strong ongoing commitments to Israel's security.' Israel has long faced accusations of war crimes for obstructing humanitarian aid to Gaza, including a total blockade imposed after October 7, 2023, and repeated restrictions on food, fuel, and medicine entering the besieged enclave. While the Israeli government argues such measures are necessary to prevent supplies from reaching Hamas, critics say the impact on civilians is catastrophic. Berlin's shift mirrors wider discontent across Europe. The UK, France, and the Netherlands are also weighing trade and arms restrictions on Israel. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in May there is 'a strong majority' in favor of reviewing the EU-Israel trade agreement. The EU is Israel's largest trading partner, with $47 billion in goods exchanged last year, according to IMF data. Last week, Israel launched a new aid distribution system through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israeli-backed initiative. However, the effort has already drawn criticism, as multiple incidents have occurred where Palestinians seeking aid were killed. On Tuesday, at least 27 people died near a distribution site in Rafah, according to Palestinian health officials and witnesses. The Israeli military said troops fired on individuals who had strayed from designated routes and posed a potential threat. Israel maintains that its military strategy is necessary to defeat Hamas and secure the release of the remaining hostages who had been taken during the October 7 attack, which killed 1,200 people. The Hamas-run health ministry reports over 54,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.
