Nation Begins To Mourn, Awaiting Confirmation of Names of Killed
Under a ceasefire deal, Hamas delivered four coffins with hostage photos. Believed to contain Israel’s youngest captives and family, identities remain unconfirmed
On Thursday, Hamas allegedly handed over the bodies of Israeli infant Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel—two of the youngest captives taken during the October 7, 2023, attack. Along with the two boys, the reported bodies of their mother, Shiri Bibas, and a fourth hostage, Oded Lifschitz, were delivered at a makeshift stage in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that the four caskets, handed over by the Red Cross, underwent a thorough security screening. Israeli troops verified that the locks on the coffins could be opened, ensuring that there would be no delays at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute when the bodies are brought in for identification.
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Preparations are underway for a military ceremony in honor of the slain hostages. In a short while, IDF Chief Rabbi Brig. Gen. Eyal Karim is expected to lead the ceremony, during which he will read Psalm 83 while the bodies, draped in Israeli flags, are saluted by troops. Footage of the ceremony may be released later, pending approval from the hostages’ families.
Israel recieves the coffins allegedly containing the remains of hostages taken in the October 7 attack, February 20, 2025. (IDF)
The coffins will then be carried into military vehicles to be transported to Israel for further identification. Yarden Bibas, who was returned in an earlier exchange, emphasized that “the journey is not over” until there is final confirmation of the fate of the boys and their mother. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a brief video statement, describing the day as “a very difficult day for the state of Israel. An upsetting day, a day of grief.”
The handover marks the first return of dead bodies under the current ceasefire deal, which also includes provisions for the release of six living hostages on Saturday. So far, 19 Israeli hostages have been freed, along with several others in unscheduled exchanges. The broader negotiations, which aim to secure the return of approximately 60 remaining hostages and facilitate a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, continue to unfold under intense domestic and international scrutiny.
Hundreds gathered in the cold while armed Hamas gunmen patrolled the area amid displays of political propaganda. One terrorist was seen next to a poster featuring a man standing over coffins draped in Israeli flags, with roots for legs—a symbol meant to convey the land’s Palestinian ownership. Elsewhere, another poster depicted Netanyahu as a vampire looming over the images of the hostages.
