Israel Receives Remains of Four Hostages: A Significant Development

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — On Thursday, Hamas announced the release of four Israeli hostages’ remains, reportedly including a mother and her two young children who had been feared dead for some time. Their loss has come to symbolize the deep sorrow experienced by the nation in the aftermath of the attack on October 7, 2023.

The bodies are believed to be those of Shiri Bibas, her children Ariel and Kfir, and 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz. Kfir, who was only nine months old when abducted, was the youngest hostage. Hamas reported that all four died alongside their guards in Israeli airstrikes.

“Our hearts are shattered — the hearts of an entire nation,” stated Israeli President Isaac Herzog. “On behalf of the State of Israel, I bow my head in sorrow. I seek forgiveness for failing to protect you on that dreadful day and for not bringing you home safely.”

The militant group presented four black coffins on a platform in Gaza, surrounded by banners, including one portraying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a vampire. Thousands, including numerous masked and armed militants, gathered to watch as the coffins were loaded onto Red Cross vehicles to be transferred to Israeli forces.

A small funeral service was held by the military at the families’ request before the bodies were sent to an Israeli laboratory for identification through DNA analysis, a process expected to take up to two days.

The family of Lifshitz later confirmed his identification. “We had prayed for a different outcome,” they expressed in a statement. “Now we can mourn the husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who has been missing since October 7.”

In recent weeks, Israelis celebrated the release of 24 living hostages under an ongoing ceasefire, which has temporarily halted over 15 months of conflict. However, the handover on Thursday starkly reminded the public of those who lost their lives in captivity as negotiations leading up to the ceasefire have extended over a year.

This development may influence discussions regarding the second phase of the ceasefire, which has barely commenced. The first phase is set to conclude at the beginning of March.

The Youngest Hostage

Kfir Bibas was just nine months old—his cheerful red hair and toothless grin—when militants invaded the family’s home on October 7, 2023. His brother Ariel was four. Footage from that day captured a terrified Shiri wrapping the boys in blankets as armed militants escorted them into Gaza.

Shiri’s husband, Yarden Bibas, was captured separately and released this month after spending 16 months in captivity.

Family members in Israel have continued to hold onto hope, celebrating Kfir’s first and second birthdays and his brother’s fifth. The Bibas family stated on Wednesday that they would await formal “identification procedures” before publicly acknowledging their losses.

Supporters across Israel have donned orange as a show of solidarity with the family—echoing the red-haired boys—and a beloved children’s song was composed in their memory.

Similar to the Bibas family, Oded Lifshitz was seized from Kibbutz Nir Oz alongside his wife Yocheved, who was freed during a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023. Lifshitz was a journalist advocating for Palestinian rights and the promotion of peace between Arabs and Jews.

Hamas abducted 251 hostages, including around 30 children, during the October 7 attack, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities, mainly among civilians.

More than half of the hostages, along with the majority of women and children, have been released through ceasefire agreements or other negotiations. Israeli forces have also rescued eight hostages and recovered the bodies of numerous individuals either killed in the initial assault or who perished while held captive.

The Stability of the Ceasefire Is Uncertain

Hamas is scheduled to release six living hostages on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and intends to release four more bodies the following week, thus completing the initial phase of the ceasefire. This will leave Hamas with around 60 hostages, all male, with roughly half presumed to be deceased.

Hamas has indicated that it will not release the remaining captives unless there is a sustainable ceasefire and a comprehensive withdrawal of Israeli forces. Netanyahu, backed by the Trump administration, asserts his commitment to eradicating Hamas’s military and governance capabilities while also securing the return of all hostages, objectives that are widely viewed as contradictory.

Trump’s proposal to relocate approximately 2 million Palestinians from Gaza so that the U.S. might take ownership and redevelop the area has garnered support from Netanyahu, yet it has been outright rejected by Palestinians and Arab nations, further complicating the prospects for a successful ceasefire.

If Hamas believes that resuming hostilities is imminent, with intentions to annihilate the group or forcibly displace Gaza’s residents, they may hesitate to release additional hostages.

The ongoing Israeli military operation has reportedly resulted in over 48,000 Palestinian deaths, primarily among women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Israel, on its part, claims to have killed over 17,000 fighters without providing substantiating evidence.

The military campaign has ravaged extensive sections of Gaza, leaving entire neighborhoods reduced to debris and destroyed buildings. At its peak, the conflict displaced 90% of the Gaza population. Many have returned to find their homes utterly devastated, with no means for reconstruction in sight.