Latest news with #Bibas'
Russia Today
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
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.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Shiri Bibas' family says her remains have been returned
The remains of Israel hostage Shiri Bibas have been returned, her family said, a day after Israel's military said the first set of remains released by Hamas earlier this week turned out to be the body of an unknown Gazan woman instead. Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist group by the U.S. and Israel, handed over four bodies on Thursday as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement that took effect on Jan. 19. They included those of Bibas' two young children, who were taken hostage with their mother during Hamas' terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Shiri Bibas' body was said to have been returned as well, but Israeli forces said later that it was the body of an unidentified Gazan woman. Her family said the correct remains were handed over Friday night. The family said that the Israeli Institute of Forensic Medicine identified the remains as Bibas'. Details about memorial services will be shared later, the family said. "For 16 months we sought certainty, and now that it's here, it brings no comfort, though we hope it marks the beginning of closure," the family said in a statement shared by Bring Them Home Now, a group advocating for the release of the Israeli hostages. The remains of Bibas' children were handed over by Hamas on Thursday. Shiri Bibas' body was said to have been returned as well, but Israeli forces later said it was the body of an unidentified Gazan woman. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday vowed to make Hamas pay "the full price" following their mistake, calling it a "cruel and wicked violation" of the ceasefire. Bibas' sons, Ariel and Kfir, were 4 years old and 9 months old, respectively, when they were taken. Kfir was the youngest of the Oct. 7 captives. The children's father, Yarden Bibas, was not with his family on Oct. 7, but was taken hostage separately. He was released earlier in February. The fourth body returned by Hamas was that of Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was taken captive. Hamas has claimed that Shiri Bibas, her sons and Lifshitz were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. The Bibas family said that she was "murdered in captivity." The handover of the wrong body put more strain on the already fragile ceasefire. The first six-week phase of the agreement, during which Hamas was to hand over 33 living Israeli hostages, is set to end next week. Six living hostages are expected to be released by Hamas on Saturday. Israel has also been releasing scores of Palestinian prisoners during the first phase. There has not been any indication of progress in talks on the second phase of the ceasefire from Israel, Hamas, or the U.S. and other countries that helped negotiate the deal. Israel's 15-month war against Hamas killed more than 48,000 people in Gaza, according to the Palestinian territory's Hamas-run Ministry of Health. About 1,200 Israelis were killed in Hamas' terrorist attack that sparked the war. — Haley Otter and Tucker Reals contributed to this report. Tense moments between Trump, Maine governor on transgender executive order, reporters say FBI Director Kash Patel has first full day on job, plans to implement major changes DOGE cuts at 9/11 health program may impact first responders
CBS News
22-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Shiri Bibas' family says her remains have been returned
The remains of Israel hostage Shiri Bibas have been returned, her family said, a day after Israel's military said the first set of remains released by Hamas earlier this week turned out to be the body of an unknown Gazan woman instead. Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist group by the U.S. and Israel, handed over four bodies on Thursday as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement that took effect on Jan. 19. They included those of Bibas' two young children, who were taken hostage with their mother during Hamas' terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Shiri Bibas' body was said to have been returned as well, but Israeli forces said later that it was the body of an unidentified Gazan woman. Her family said the correct remains were handed over Friday night. The family said that the Israeli Institute of Forensic Medicine identified the remains as Bibas'. Details about memorial services will be shared later, the family said. "For 16 months we sought certainty, and now that it's here, it brings no comfort, though we hope it marks the beginning of closure," the family said in a statement shared by Bring Them Home Now, a group advocating for the release of the Israeli hostages. The remains of Bibas' children were handed over by Hamas on Thursday. Shiri Bibas' body was said to have been returned as well, but Israeli forces later said it was the body of an unidentified Gazan woman. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday vowed to make Hamas pay "the full price" following their mistake, calling it a "cruel and wicked violation" of the ceasefire. Bibas' sons, Ariel and Kfir, were 4 years old and 9 months old, respectively, when they were taken. Kfir was the youngest of the Oct. 7 captives. The children's father, Yarden Bibas, was not with his family on Oct. 7, but was taken hostage separately. He was released earlier in February. The fourth body returned by Hamas was that of Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was taken captive. Hamas has claimed that Shiri Bibas, her sons and Lifshitz were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. The Bibas family said that she was "murdered in captivity." The handover of the wrong body put more strain on the already fragile ceasefire. The first six-week phase of the agreement, during which Hamas was to hand over 33 living Israeli hostages, is set to end next week. Six living hostages are expected to be released by Hamas on Saturday. Israel has also been releasing scores of Palestinian prisoners during the first phase. There has not been any indication of progress in talks on the second phase of the ceasefire from Israel, Hamas, or the U.S. and other countries that helped negotiate the deal. Israel's 15-month war against Hamas killed more than 48,000 people in Gaza, according to the Palestinian territory's Hamas-run Ministry of Health. About 1,200 Israelis were killed in Hamas' terrorist attack that sparked the war.
Egypt Independent
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Human remains returned by Hamas to Israel confirmed as those of former hostage Shiri Bibas
CNN — Human remains returned to Israel by Hamas on Friday have been confirmed as those of former hostage Shiri Bibas, according to a statement from her family provided Saturday by the hostage relatives' forum. Bibas' remains had been expected to be among those of four hostages returned by Hamas on Thursday, alongside her sons, Kfir and Ariel, and another captive, Oded Lifshitz. The boys were 9 months old and 4 years old, respectively, when they were taken captive. However, while forensic tests by Israeli authorities confirmed that the remains included those of the two boys and Lifshitz, the fourth body was not that of Shiri Bibas – and nor did it match that of any other Israeli hostage, prompting outrage and condemnation. Now, her body has been returned to Israel, according to the forum. 'Last night, our Shiri was brought home. After the identification process at the Institute for Forensic Medicine, we received the news this morning that we had feared: our Shiri was murdered in captivity,' the statement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said, quoting the Bibas family. 'She has returned home to her sons, her husband, her sister, and all her family to rest,' the statement added. CNN has contacted the Israeli government for official confirmation of the results of the forensic examination. Shiri's husband and the children's father, Yarden Bibas, was released by Hamas earlier this month after 484 days of captivity. Opposition party leader Yair Lapid called the return of Bibas' remains 'a long and painful closing of a circle.' 'I share in the pain and sorrow of the family and friends. We so hoped for a different ending,' Lapid said in a post on Telegram. Kibbutz Nir Oz, the community where Bibas was taken hostage along with her husband and children in the Hamas-led attack of October 7, expressed its 'deep sorrow' in a statement Saturday. 'Today, after 16 unbearably difficult months, the painful circle is finally closed for the family, and in the coming days, she will return, together with her two young sons, to eternal rest in the land of Israel,' the statement said. Earlier Friday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said it received a coffin from Hamas, and transferred a set of human remains to Israeli authorities. Hamas-run Al-Aqsa news reported that the militant group had handed over what it described as Bibas' body to the Red Cross, citing its leader Mahmoud Mardawi. A convoy carrying the remains arrived in Tel Aviv for identification on Friday night. As the vehicles arrived at the city's Abu Kabir Forensics Center, mourners lined the street outside, holding Israeli flags. Hamas, which says Shiri and the two boys were killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2023, said later that her body may have earlier been mixed up with the body of another person killed in the airstrike, and vowed to investigate. Israel has rejected Hamas' explanation of how the Bibas family members died. On Friday, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari claimed forensic evidence showed militants had murdered the two boys 'with their bare hands.' He did not elaborate on the claim, which Hamas later dismissed as 'sheer lies.'
Voice of America
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
2 more Israeli hostages released in Gaza following return of Bibas remains
Two more Israeli hostages were released Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees as part of a ceasefire deal as a body returned from Gaza Friday was confirmed to be that of hostage Shiri Bibas. Tal Shoham, 40, who was taken from Kibbutz Be'eri during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, a U.S.-designated terror group, and Avera Mengistu, 39, who crossed over into Gaza on his own around a decade ago, were handed over to the Red Cross early Saturday in the Gaza city of Rafah. Hundreds of people, including Hamas fighters carrying automatic weapons and wearing military fatigues, balaclavas and Hamas headbands, stood in a rain-soaked square in Rafah as the handover took place. In Tel Aviv, Israelis waving flags and carrying placards with pictures of the hostages watched the release via video and cheered as the two men were paraded on a makeshift stage surrounded by masked armed Hamas fighters. Four other hostages were due to be released later Saturday. Eliya Cohen, 27; Omer Shem Tov, 22; and Omer Wenkert, 23, were taken from a music festival during the Oct. 7, attack. Hisham Al-Sayed, 36, has been held since crossing into the Gaza Strip under unexplained circumstances around a decade ago. The six Israelis are expected to be the last living hostages to be freed during the first phase of the ceasefire. In exchange, Israel is set to release more than 600 Palestinians from Israeli prisons. Saturday's hostage release followed the return late Friday of the remains of Shiri Bibas. Her body was supposed to be among three others, including two of her children, handed over by Hamas on Thursday. But the Israeli military said the female body was not hers, prompting a warning by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Hamas will "pay the price" for failing to release Bibas' remains as prescribed by the peace agreement with Israel. In a video statement, Netanyahu said, "We will act with determination to bring Shiri home along with all our hostages — both living and dead — and ensure Hamas pays the full price for this cruel and evil violation of the agreement." A statement released late Friday by the Bibas family said forensic analysis confirmed Shiri Babas' remains. "Last night, our Shiri was returned home," the family said. Hamas said Bibas' remains appeared to have been mixed up with other human remains taken from rubble after an Israeli airstrike hit the place she was held. Israeli officials said forensic evidence indicated Shiri Bibas and her children were killed by Palestinian militants. Israel and Hamas are in the first phase of a ceasefire that began on Jan. 19. Talks on the second phase are scheduled to begin this week, according to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. Hamas killed about 1,200 people in the October 2023 attack on Israel and took about 250 people as hostages. More than half of the captives have been released in ceasefire agreements and other deals, while eight were rescued in military operations. Israel's air and ground war killed more than 48,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says the death toll includes 17,000 militants. The offensive destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced most of its population of 2.3 million. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
