Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised Friday that Hamas would face severe consequences after the militant group failed to return the remains of Shiri Bibas alongside her sons’ bodies during Thursday’s hostage exchange.
Israeli officials expressed outrage after the Israel Defense Forces determined that remains Hamas claimed belonged to Bibas were actually those of “an anonymous body.” The militant group returned the bodies of her sons Ariel, 4, and Kfir, who was just 9 months old when captured on Oct. 7, 2023.
“Hamas will pay the full price for this cruel and wicked violation of the agreement,” Netanyahu said in a statement, calling it “an unimaginably cynical act.”
Hamas later claimed Bibas’ remains may have been “mixed” with others after an Israeli airstrike allegedly killed her and her sons. Israel has accused Hamas of murdering the family members in November 2023, shortly after their abduction.
The exchange took place during a ceremony that United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned, writing on X: “Under international law, any handover of the remains of the deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.”
The incident threatens the fragile ceasefire agreement brokered last month with Qatari and Egyptian mediation and U.S. support. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the failure to return Bibas’ remains a “serious violation” and stated “the only solution is the destruction of Hamas.”
Despite these tensions, the release of six living hostages is expected to proceed Saturday. Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, Tal Shoham, Hisham Al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu are scheduled to be freed, with the latter two having been held in Gaza for over a decade after crossing into the territory independently.
The hostage release comes as Israel continues military operations in the northern West Bank. The International Rescue Committee warned Thursday that these actions have “displaced thousands, destroyed water networks, and restricted movement,” with children among those killed.
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) had previously reported that forced displacement of Palestinian communities in the northern West Bank was escalating “at an alarming pace.”
