Israel Confirms Return of Shiri Bibas’s Remains from Hamas

Hamas Returns Remains of Shiri Bibas to Israel, Family Confirms

Tel Aviv, February 22, 2025

Hamas has handed over the remains of Shiri Bibas to Israel, confirming the return after an earlier misidentification sparked anger and tension within Israel. This comes just a day after claims that the body initially given to Israeli authorities was not Bibas’s.

On Friday, February 21, Hamas officially returned Bibas's remains after a botched identification process, leading to frustrations among Israeli citizens and government officials. The mishandling of the body had threatened the ceasefire agreements in Gaza.

The Bibas family, based in Kibbutz Nir Oz in Israel, verified the identification on Saturday, a few hours before a prisoner exchange involving six Israeli captives and 602 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails was due to take place.

Shiri Bibas's Return: A Grieving Family's Relief

"Following the identification process at the Forensic Medicine Institute, we received both shocking and heartening news this morning. Our Shiri, who was taken as a captive, is now home with her children, husband, sister, and the rest of the family to rest," said the Bibas family in a statement released on Saturday.

The handover of Bibas's remains, alongside those of her two young children, Kfir and Ariel, was part of an agreement under which Hamas also delivered the bodies of four other captives on Thursday, February 19. This exchange was part of a ceasefire deal that had held since January 19, 2025, temporarily halting the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Hamas claims that Bibas, along with her children, died in an Israeli airstrike in November 2023. However, Israel refutes these claims, insisting that the Bibas family died as a result of Hamas militant action.

Following the initial handover of the four bodies, Israel later declared that one of the remains was not that of Shiri Bibas. In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to hold Hamas accountable for what he described as a breach of the ceasefire agreement.

Hamas Acknowledges Mistake; Blames Israeli Bombings for Confusion

On Friday, Hamas admitted the error, explaining that the confusion arose due to Israeli bombings in the area, which had resulted in multiple casualties. Basem Naim, a member of Hamas's political office, stated that such mistakes were inevitable in the context of the devastation caused by ongoing Israeli bombings, which have left many captives trapped under rubble.

“It is not in our ethical stance or interest to hold onto any bodies or violate agreements we sign,” Naim said in his statement.

Ismail al-Thawabta, Director of Gaza’s Hamas-led Government Media Office, asserted that Netanyahu should bear responsibility for the deaths of Shiri and her children, framing the incident as a direct consequence of Israeli military actions.

Ceasefire and Upcoming Prisoner Exchange Talks

The events surrounding Bibas’s remains highlight the fragility of the ceasefire agreement brokered last month by the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt. The ceasefire, which has led to temporary calm in Gaza, is facing new challenges due to the handling of the prisoner and remains exchange.

As part of the ongoing agreement, six Israeli hostages are expected to be released on Saturday, February 22, in exchange for the release of 602 Palestinians, many of whom have been detained without charge. Talks for the second phase of the ceasefire are expected to commence soon.