The purported body of dead hostage Shiri Bibas has been handed over to Israel, the Red Cross confirmed Friday — a day after Hamas failed to deliver the correct remains along with the bodies of her young murdered sons.
Hamas claimed that it delivered the 32-year-old’s body to the agency earlier in the day, and the International Committee of the Red Cross later said it turned the human remains over to authorities in the Jewish state, according to CNN.
The coffin believed to be carrying Bibas’ body has been taken to the Abu Kabir Forensic Center in Tel Aviv for identification, a spokesperson for Israeli police told the outlet.
The mother of slain Ariel, 4, and 10-month-old Kfir, was supposed to be among four bodies returned to the Jewish state by the terror organization Thursday, but Israel instead was given an “anonymous, unidentified” corpse that sparked outrage and led to questions if a cease-fire would exist much longer between the two sides.
Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas were kidnapped from their home during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack. @Israel/XHamas, which killed 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 250 on Oct. 7, 2023, previously claimed Friday there was a possible mix-up of bodies before claiming the correct body was now released.
The remains of Ariel and Kfir, who Israeli authorities said were sadistically murdered in Gaza in November 2023, were positively identified Thursday, as well as the remains of 83-year-old peace activist Oded Lifshitz.
Footage of Shiri cradling her two young sons as Palestinian terrorists swarmed her on Oct. 7 has become an enduring image of agony for Israelis.
Shiri Bibas holds her two sons, Kfir and Ariel, during Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Her husband and the boys’ father, Yarden Bibas, was also taken hostage separate from his family, but he was released alive earlier this month.
During his captivity, Hamas cruelly forced him to announce the death of his family in a propaganda video, claiming an Israeli airstrike killed the three. But Israeli officials said Thursday after examining the boys’ bodies, Hamas killed the little boys with their bare hands.
New York City landmarks, including the Kosciuszko Bridge, were lit Friday in honor of Ariel and Kfir Bibas. Wayne Carrington
5 Penn Plaza was among multiple landmarks to be lit orange. David BurnsFourteen landmarks across New York state will be lit orange Friday night to honor Ariel and Kfir Bibas, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
“Our hearts are broken as we mourn Ariel and Kfir Bibas, who were brutally murdered by Hamas in an act of callous and unthinkable cruelty,” she said in a statement. “I join the millions around the world honoring their memory and demanding that Hamas immediately return the remains of Shiri Bibas home to Israel.”
New York City’s 1 World Trade Center, the Kosciuszko Bridge and Moynihan Train Hall are among the landmarks, as are the Gov. Mario Cuomo Bridge, Niagara Falls, the Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal.
