The coffins of four Israeli hostages released by Hamas — including the two Bibas children — had to be passed through metal detectors to ensure they weren’t booby-trapped in a final sickening insult after they were paraded through the streets of Gaza.
The terror group handed over the bodies of Kfir Bibas — the youngest Israeli hostage, who was just 9 months old when he was abducted — along with his brother, Ariel, who was taken when he was just 4, their mother, Shiri, 33, and Oded Lifshitz, 84.
Hamas terrorists handed over the bodies of four dead Israeli hostages in locked coffins — without keys — in southern Gaza on February 20, 2025. AFP via Getty Images
Kfir Bibas, Ariel Bibas and their mother, Shiri Bibas, were killed by Hamas. Facebook
The IDF salutes the deceased hostages as they return home after over 500 days in the hands of terrorists. @IDF/X
Hamas terrorists carry one of the coffins on stage before handing over the bodies of four Israeli hostages to the Red Cross in Khan Younis in southern Gaza on February 20, 2025. AFP via Getty ImagesIsraeli sources had earlier told Kan, Israel’s national broadcaster, that the caskets were locked shut and that no key was provided, but Israel Defense Force officials later confirmed to The Post that this was not the case.
But the IDF did have to ensure that the caskets did not contain booby traps once they were handed over.
“Prior to the military ceremony, the coffins were scanned for explosives,” an IDF spokesperson told The Post.
The bodies were transferred to new coffins, draped in Israeli flags, and transported by convoy to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv. Officials said it could take up to 48 hours to officially identify the dead, according to the Times of Israel.
Ahead of the handover, the four coffins containing the victims were displayed on stage below a mural depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a vampire, with blood dripping from his fangs, videos of the exchange shows. A photo of the Bibas family and Lifshitz was shown in a pool of the blood.
Placed next to the coffins were two missiles with English text reading, “They were killed by USA bombs.”
Masked men picked up each coffin one by one and paraded them through the crowds that gathered in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis to watch as the boxes were loaded inside Red Cross vehicles.
The UN rights chief condemned Hamas’ gross public display.
“Under international law, any handover of the remains of the deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families,” Austrian Volker Turk said in a statement.
Netanyahu addressed the country on Thursday after the hostages’ bodies were returned and vowed to “settle the score with the vile murderers.”
“On this day, we are all united,” said Netanyahu in a video message. “We are all united in unbearable grief.”
“We will bring back all our hostages, destroy the murderers, eliminate Hamas, and together — with God’s help — we will secure our future,” he pledged.
The appalling handover is likely to put even more strain on the precarious cease-fire agreement Hamas reached with Israel on Jan. 19.
