The remains of Shiri Bibas have been returned by Hamas, confirming her tragic fate after months of uncertainty. The Bibas family and forensic experts have verified the identity of the remains, bringing closure to a painful chapter for her loved ones and the community of Kibbutz Nir Oz.
The handover comes after an earlier misidentification that sparked outrage in Israel and threatened to destabilize the delicate ceasefire agreement in Gaza. The error, attributed by Hamas to the destruction caused by relentless Israeli bombings, led to confusion and distress among those awaiting the return of their loved ones. The Palestinian group later acknowledged the mix-up, explaining that the intensity of airstrikes had made it difficult to separate the remains of captives from those of Palestinians killed in the bombardment.
The Bibas family issued a heart-wrenching statement confirming the loss, saying, “After the identification process at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, this morning we received the news we feared the most. Our Shiri was murdered in captivity and has now returned home to her sons, husband, sister, and all her family to rest.” Their grief is compounded by the continued uncertainty over the fate of her two young sons, Kfir and Ariel, who were reportedly killed in an airstrike.
Hamas had initially agreed to hand over the bodies of Bibas and her children, along with another captive, as part of a negotiated agreement under the ceasefire brokered by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt. However, the confusion surrounding the initial handover led to accusations from Israeli leaders, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to hold Hamas accountable for what he described as a “violation” of the ceasefire deal.
Responding to the outcry, a senior Hamas official expressed regret over the mistake, stating that it was never their intention to withhold or misidentify bodies. “We confirm that it is not in our values or our interest to keep any bodies or not to abide by the covenants and agreements that we sign,” said Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau. He emphasized that the devastation caused by Israeli bombings had left many bodies unrecognizable and buried under rubble, making accurate identification difficult.
Meanwhile, Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run Gaza Government Media Office, placed responsibility for Bibas’s death squarely on Netanyahu’s government. “He bears full responsibility for killing her and her children,” al-Thawabta said, reinforcing Hamas’s claims that the family had perished in an Israeli air raid in November 2023.
The incident highlights the fragility of the ceasefire, which has facilitated prisoner exchanges between Israel and Hamas. As part of the ongoing negotiations, six more captives are set to be released in exchange for 602 Palestinian prisoners, most of whom have been detained without formal charges or trials. Discussions over a second phase of the ceasefire are expected to begin soon.
This latest development serves as a grim reminder of the human toll of the conflict, where families on both sides continue to suffer immeasurable loss. For the Bibas family, the return of Shiri’s remains brings painful closure but leaves lingering questions about the fate of her children and the future of the fragile truce in Gaza.
