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Israel’s announcement that a body returned from Gaza on Thursday was not that of Shiri Bibas, as Hamas had said, throws up another stumbling block in this ceasefire deal.
It was thought the remains of Shiri, a mother of two, had been handed over along with those of her children.
But the Israeli military said forensic testing could only confirm the bodies of Ariel and Kfir, who would have been aged five and two, and not those of their mother.
Instead, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas had “put the body of a Gazan woman in a coffin”, with Ismail al-Thawabta, a spokesman for Hamas, suggesting Shiri’s remains had been mixed up with other bodies under rubble after an Israeli air strike.
In a separate statement, the group said it affirmed its “seriousness and full commitment to all our obligations” under the ceasefire – and that it had “no interest in non-compliance”.
It also said an investigation was under way, and called for the remains of the alleged Palestinian woman mistakenly handed over to Israel to be returned.
The Bibas family were among 251 people taken hostage during Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel, along with Shiri’s husband, Yarden, who was released earlier this month.
Israel launched a massive military campaign against Hamas in response, which has killed at least 48,297 Palestinians – mainly civilians – according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Ariel and Kfir, the youngest of the Israeli hostages, were aged four and nine months when they were kidnapped. Their mother was 32.
Netanyahu has threatened that Hamas will pay the “full price” for failing to hand over Shiri’s body, calling it a “cruel and evil violation” of their agreement.
No measures have yet been announced beyond Netanyahu saying Israel will act “with determination to bring Shiri home”.
But a further claim from Israel that Ariel and Kfir had been “murdered by terrorists in cold blood” will further inflame feelings in Israel.
In November 2023, Hamas claimed the boys and Shiri had been killed in an IDF air strike. The BBC has not been able to independently verify this.
On Friday, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari claimed forensic tests had revealed that Hamas killed Ariel and Kfir “with their bare hands”.
“Afterwards, they committed horrific acts to cover up these atrocities,” he said, without giving specifics about the alleged injuries. Hamas has not yet responded to these accusations.
For Israeli politicians inside and outside Netanyahu’s government who have been demanding a resumption of the war in Gaza, these claims will be seen as more evidence that Hamas must be utterly eradicated.
The ceasefire is entering a new period of uncertainty, with the first phase drawing to an end – while negotiations on the next stage have yet to begin in earnest.
The second phase – in which all the remaining hostages, alive or dead, are due to be released – has been seen from the start as potentially more challenging than the first one.
Israel is demanding the complete disarmament of Hamas, while Hamas rejects the prospect of Israel continuing to maintain tight security control over Gaza.
Any major breakdown in the deal could see a return to fighting.
On the other side, though, is perhaps the majority of public opinion in Israel – that nothing should get in the way of all the remaining hostages being returned.
In expressing his condemnation of the latest developments, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog made clear that Israel must remember what he called its “highest duty – to do everything in our power to bring every one of our kidnapped sisters and brothers home”.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum echoed this, saying “every step” must be taken with “careful responsibility” to ensure the safe return of all hostages.
A fourth body was returned to Israel, from Gaza, on Thursday – that of 84-year-old peace activist Oded Lifschitz. Just like Ariel and Kfir Bibas, the Israeli military said Oded’s remains had been confirmed by forensic testing.
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