IDF Claims Hamas Delivered Incorrect Body
Hamas has returned the remains of two children and an "unidentified body" rather than their mother's, according to the Israeli military. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The militant group Hamas has returned the remains of an infant and his brother, but Israel claims that a third body is not that of their mother. The Israeli military accused Hamas of releasing an “unidentified body” instead of the remains of Shiri Bibas, who died in captivity in Gaza with her two young children. They stated that the body of Shiri was not among those returned alongside her sons, Kfir and Ariel.
On Thursday, Hamas released four bodies that it asserted were hostages, which included the remains of Shiri and her children. The fourth body, part of a ceasefire agreement, was that of Oded Lifshitz, 83, whose family confirmed the identification of his remains.
While Israeli forensic analysis confirmed the identities of Kfir and Ariel, the Israel Defense Forces asserted that the third body received was not Shiri. “No match was found for any other hostage. This is an anonymous, unidentified body,” the IDF said in a statement.
The Israeli military condemned this situation as a “violation of utmost severity” by Hamas, accusing the group of not fulfilling its obligation to return all four deceased hostages and demanding the immediate return of Shiri Bibas’s body along with all remaining hostages.
According to the IDF, the Bibas boys were “brutally murdered” while in captivity in November 2023. At the time of his death, Ariel was four years old, while Kfir was just ten months old. They were taken from their home in Nir Oz along with their mother, Shiri. Their father, Yarden Bibas, was abducted earlier while trying to protect his family and was released on February 1, 2025, as part of a hostage return deal.
On Friday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked that Hamas had transferred the body of “a Gazan woman,” calling it a violation of the agreement between Israel and Hamas.
This release marks the first time since the announcement of the Gaza ceasefire agreement in January that Hamas has returned bodies to Israel. The deal's framework includes the release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas is expected to release six Israeli hostages over the weekend, completing the first phase of the current ceasefire agreement. Additionally, on the following Thursday, four more bodies of hostages are anticipated to be released.
Last week, Hamas released three hostages, including a dual Russian-Israeli citizen, Aleksander Trufanov, who was among those abducted during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths. In the 15 months since, nearly 47,000 people in Gaza have reportedly died, according to health authorities in the enclave.
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
On Thursday, Hamas released four bodies that it asserted were hostages, which included the remains of Shiri and her children. The fourth body, part of a ceasefire agreement, was that of Oded Lifshitz, 83, whose family confirmed the identification of his remains.
While Israeli forensic analysis confirmed the identities of Kfir and Ariel, the Israel Defense Forces asserted that the third body received was not Shiri. “No match was found for any other hostage. This is an anonymous, unidentified body,” the IDF said in a statement.
The Israeli military condemned this situation as a “violation of utmost severity” by Hamas, accusing the group of not fulfilling its obligation to return all four deceased hostages and demanding the immediate return of Shiri Bibas’s body along with all remaining hostages.
According to the IDF, the Bibas boys were “brutally murdered” while in captivity in November 2023. At the time of his death, Ariel was four years old, while Kfir was just ten months old. They were taken from their home in Nir Oz along with their mother, Shiri. Their father, Yarden Bibas, was abducted earlier while trying to protect his family and was released on February 1, 2025, as part of a hostage return deal.
On Friday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked that Hamas had transferred the body of “a Gazan woman,” calling it a violation of the agreement between Israel and Hamas.
This release marks the first time since the announcement of the Gaza ceasefire agreement in January that Hamas has returned bodies to Israel. The deal's framework includes the release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas is expected to release six Israeli hostages over the weekend, completing the first phase of the current ceasefire agreement. Additionally, on the following Thursday, four more bodies of hostages are anticipated to be released.
Last week, Hamas released three hostages, including a dual Russian-Israeli citizen, Aleksander Trufanov, who was among those abducted during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths. In the 15 months since, nearly 47,000 people in Gaza have reportedly died, according to health authorities in the enclave.
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
