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The Red Cross handed the four coffins to Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip after receiving them from the Hamas terrorist group following a propaganda ceremony.
By JNS and United with Israel Staff
Israel redeemed on Thursday the bodies of four fallen hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza: the three members of the Bibas family—mother Shiri, infant son Kfir and his older brother Ariel—and octogenarian Oded Lifshitz.
The Red Cross handed four coffins to Israel Defense Forces troops and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) agents in the Gaza Strip, after the Geneva-based agency received the caskets from the Hamas terrorist group following a propaganda ceremony.
Prepare for your heart to clench as you witness the spectacle of masked Hamas militants carrying the Bibas family coffins. They first practice on stage as if they’re in a high school theater production.
Be clear-headed as your heart clenches: this Hamas propaganda is a… pic.twitter.com/Z8vcUilQZK
— Asra Nomani (@AsraNomani) February 20, 2025
IDF sappers inspected the caskets, which were locked without keys, to ensure they were not booby-trapped. The IDF also verified whether any personal belongings of the hostages were returned with the bodies.
A brief military ceremony was held and presided over by the chief rabbi of the IDF, who recited Psalms and the Kaddish mourning prayer, before the bodies were to be taken to Israel for identification.
There are now 69 hostages remaining in Hamas captivity in Gaza, of whom 36 are believed to be dead.
Although the Israeli government has made the names public, official confirmation of the four hostages’ identity will depend on forensic analysis of the remains.
The coffins have been transferred out of Gaza and taken, under police escort,directly to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv for identification, where the cause and time of death are determined.
The Bibas children and their mother being transferred back into Israel, alongside Israeli hostage Oded Lifshitz. The bodies will undergo forensic testing to confirm their identities before a formal announcement is made.
— Brooke Goldstein (@GoldsteinBrooke) February 20, 2025
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