Remains of Israeli captive Shiri Bibas returned by Hamas: Family

The family of Israeli captive Shiri Bibas has confirmed that Hamas has returned her remains. 

Hamas handed over four bodies on Thursday as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement that took effect on January 19.

The bodies included those of Bibas's two children, who were taken captive with their mother during Hamas's unprecedented operation against the occupied territories on October 7, 2023.

Shiri Bibas's body was said to have been returned as well, but Israeli forces claimed later that it was the body of an unidentified Palestinian woman.

Her family said in a statement on Saturday that the correct remains were handed over Friday night.

It said that the Israeli Institute of Forensic Medicine identified the remains as belonging to that of Bibas.

They said Bibas and her children were “murdered in captivity.”

However, Hamas has said that the mother and her two children were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza in November 2023.

Hamas releases six Israeli captives, affirms readiness for next phase of swap deal

Hamas has initiated the process of handing over six Israeli captives in the seventh round of exchanging prisoners with the occupying regime.

Hamas spokesman Ismail al-Thawabta said in a post on X on Friday that the mother’s remains seemed to have been mixed up with other bodies under rubble after the airstrike.

After the handover of the wrong body, Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel accused Hamas of a “serious violation” and threatened to cancel the fragile Gaza ceasefire deal.

During the first 42-day phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, 33 Israeli captives are to be released in exchange for almost 2,000 Palestinian abductees.

Hamas warned earlier that it could delay the release of Israeli captives if the regime’s military violates the ceasefire deal.

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