Hamas is set to return the bodies of four Israeli hostages on Thursday, including members of the Bibas family, whose plight has become a symbol of the hostage crisis following the outbreak of the Gaza war.
The handover will mark the first time Hamas has returned remains since its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which triggered the ongoing conflict. The bodies of Shiri Bibas, her two young sons—Kfir and Ariel—and a fourth hostage, Oded Lifshitz, will be transferred to the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.
Footage from the October 7 attack showed Hamas militants abducting Shiri Bibas and her children from their home near the Gaza border. Her husband, Yarden Bibas, was kidnapped separately but was released on February 1 in a previous hostage-prisoner exchange.
The repatriation of their remains is part of the first phase of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which began on January 19 after over 15 months of fighting.
Hostage Exchanges and Ceasefire Progress
Since the ceasefire’s implementation, 19 Israeli hostages have been released in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinian prisoners. Of the 14 remaining hostages eligible for release in the first phase, Israel has confirmed that eight are deceased.
The deaths of the Bibas family members have been widely reported after Hamas claimed they were killed in an Israeli airstrike early in the war. However, Israel has not confirmed this claim, and the Bibas family remains skeptical, awaiting official identification.
The Israeli authorities have not publicly named those whose bodies will be returned, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged receiving a list and confirmed that families had been notified. The National Forensic Medicine Institute in Tel Aviv has deployed 10 doctors to expedite the identification process.
Israel and Hamas recently agreed to the return of the remains of eight hostages in two groups over the next week. Additionally, six living Israeli captives are set to be released on Saturday.
Ongoing Ceasefire and Future Negotiations
The ceasefire has been held despite accusations of violations on both sides. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced on Tuesday that discussions on the second phase of the truce would begin this week, with the goal of establishing a more lasting agreement.
Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu stated that the group is willing to release all remaining hostages in a single exchange during the next phase, though he did not specify how many captives remain in Gaza.
Hamas and its allies took 251 hostages during the October 7 attack, of whom 70 are still in Gaza, including 35 whom Israel says are dead. The attack resulted in 1,211 Israeli deaths, mostly civilians. Israel’s retaliatory strikes have killed at least 48,297 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, figures the United Nations considers credible.
