Hamas will hand over the remains of four dead hostages, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed on Wednesday. Additionally, Netanyahu’s office said that the terror group is expected to deliver the hostages’ remains without “ceremonies.”
Last week, Hamas was widely condemned for holding a ceremony with the coffins of four dead hostages: Ariel Bibas, Kfir Bibas, Shiri Bibas and Oded Lifshitz. The coffin that was supposed to contain Shiri Bibas’ remains was later discovered to have the body of an unidentified Gazan woman. Shiri’s remains were later returned to Israel.
“These Hamas monsters also cynically refused to bring back the boys’ mother, Shiri, and sent the body of a Gazan woman instead, in brazen violation of the agreement,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Feb. 21.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on Dec. 9, 2024. (MAYA ALLERUZZO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
ISRAEL’S UN AMBASSADOR SLAMS HAMAS’ ‘EVIL AND DEPRAVED’ DISPLAY OF HOSTAGES’ COFFINS
Top United Nations officials, including the spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, condemned the ceremonies.
U.N. Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told the press that Secretary-General Guterres found the “parading of bodies and displaying of the coffins of the deceased hostages” to be “abhorrent and appalling.”
In his statement, Türk cited international legal requirements for the returning of remains of the deceased, but did not specifically say that Hamas’ ceremony violated international law.
“We urge that all returns are conducted in privacy, and with respect and care,” Türk said. “Under international law, any handover of the remains of [the] deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families.”
Pictures of the Bibas family and Oded Lifshitz, 84, who were kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas and then killed, are displayed next to candles in the dining room in Kibbutz Nir Oz, after their bodies were handed over to Israel under the terms of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, on the day of Lifshitz’s funeral, in Kibbutz Nir Oz, Israel, on Feb. 25, 2025. (REUTERS/Amir Cohen)
FUNERAL HELD FOR SHIRI BIBAS AND HER SONS AFTER THEIR REMAINS HANDED OVER BY HAMAS
Many, however, were not satisfied with the statements from U.N. officials, with some critics slamming the international institution for its alleged lack of action after Oct. 7.
“For 16 months, Israel has been fighting a deranged terrorist organization that places no value on human life, especially if it is Israeli or Jewish – all while international institutions like the UN refrained from condemning Hamas and formally demanding the immediate return of our hostages,” Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
While Hamas released a list of the hostages whose bodies will supposedly be returned later today, Israel has not officially confirmed the identities of the deceased hostages.
People look on next to flowers and the graves of Shiri, 32, and her two children, Kfir, 9 months old, and Ariel, 4, of the Bibas family, who were kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas and then killed in Gaza, after their funeral procession, in Tzohar, Israel, on Feb. 26, 2025. (REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)
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Oded Lifshitz, one of the slain hostages whose remains were returned last week, was laid to rest on Tuesday. His wife, Yocheved, delivered an emotional eulogy in which she vowed to fight to get the remaining hostages home.
While Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas were buried on Wednesday together in one casket, according to the Times of Israel. Yarden Bibas, who was also taken hostage on Oct. 7 but was later released, eulogized his wife and two young sons. He also apologized to his wife and sons for not being able to protect him during Hamas’ brutal attacks.
“Shiri, this is the closest I’ve been to you since October 7th, and I can’t kiss or hug you, and it’s breaking me,” Yarden Bibas said.
