Israel says Bibas boys among bodies returned by Hamas, but not their mother

Israeli military confirms one body handed over is not the mother of two children.

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Hamas has released the remains of four Israeli hostages under a ceasefire agreement, but the Israeli military has claimed that one of the bodies handed over was not the mother of two children who were long feared dead.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed revenge against Gaza after Hamas released the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including two children.

The handover took place in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, where Hamas handed over the remains of Shiri Bibas, her two children Ariel and Kfir, and 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz. According to Hamas, the hostages were killed during Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, which the resistance group claimed were indiscriminate and part of Israel’s 16-month military campaign.

In response, Netanyahu issued a statement calling for “settling accounts” with those responsible for the deaths of the Israeli captives, further pledging that such an event would never be allowed to happen again. He hinted at the continuation of Israeli military actions against Gaza, despite a ceasefire agreement that has halted the fighting for now.

Hamas, however, accused Israel of causing the hostages' deaths through bombing locations where they were held, stating that the same Israeli strikes had killed 17,881 Palestinian children.

Hamas condemned Netanyahu’s response, accusing him of using the deaths for political gain and claiming that the Israeli prime minister’s actions were aimed at bolstering his political position amid domestic pressure.

The ceasefire, which took effect last month, has temporarily halted the war that has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, and left much of Gaza in ruins. While the ceasefire has provided a pause, the situation remains volatile, with tensions still high as Israel’s military and Hamas have yet to resolve their disagreements over the next phase of the conflict.

Netanyahu’s threats and the release of the bodies have further inflamed political tensions, with opposition groups blaming him for the delay in a prisoner swap that could have prevented the deaths. The International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice are currently investigating Israel for potential war crimes related to its actions in Gaza.

However, the body of their mother, Shiri Bibas, was not among those released, Israeli officials said.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that while the remains of Oded Lifshitz, 83, who was kidnapped in the same attack, were also confirmed, the additional body was not that of Shiri Bibas or any other Israeli hostage. The IDF has demanded that Hamas return Shiri Bibas’ body and the remaining Israeli hostages still in captivity.

Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon condemned the release of an unidentified body, accusing Hamas of treating the remains as "worthless." He called for the immediate return of all Israeli hostages.