Great anger in Israel

Hamas hands over a different body than agreed

One of the bodies handed over by Hamas on Thursday was not - as claimed by the Islamist Palestinian militia - that of Shiri Bibas, who had been taken hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.(Bild: AP/AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, AP, Krone KREATIV)

One of the bodies handed over by Hamas on Thursday is not that of Shiri Bibas, who was taken hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israel is furious: with the incorrect handover, the Palestinian militia has violated the ceasefire agreement. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously called for Hamas to be "eradicated". 

"This is an anonymous, unidentified body", Israel's army announced that night following forensic investigations. This was a serious breach of the agreement to hand over four hostages who had been killed. Two of the children's bodies were Kfir and Ariel Bibas, but the woman's body was not that of her mother Shiri.

"Major breach of trust"
"We demand that Hamas return Shiri along with all our other hostages." A senior Israeli official described the situation as "deeply shocking". "We don't know why they did this. This is a major breach of trust."

The identity of the bodies of Shiri's sons Kfir and Ariel Bibas was confirmed in the forensic investigation.(Bild: AFP)

One of the bodies handed over by Hamas on Thursday is not - as claimed by the Islamist Palestinian militia - Shiri Bibas, who was taken hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.(Bild: AP/AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, AP, Krone KREATIV)

"A new low"
"This is a new low, an evil and a cruelty that is unparalleled," said Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon in a statement, according to the Times of Israel. Hamas had returned an unidentified body in place of the mother of two boys - abducted and then murdered in the Gaza Strip more than 16 months ago - "as if it were a worthless delivery", Danon was quoted as saying. Even after the death of the children, the terrorist organization "violated all basic moral values".

Rubio: Hamas must be eradicated
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously called for Hamas to be "eradicated". "Hamas is evil - pure evil - and must be eradicated. ALL hostages must come home NOW," Rubio wrote on Platform X. His post appeared before the news that the woman's body was not Shiri Bibas.

Hamas had handed over the remains of four people in Gaza on Thursday. Initially, the body of Oded Lifschitz was identified. Lifschitz was a retired journalist and activist for Palestinian rights.