Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas’ household says returned physique is hers

The household of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas says a physique handed over by Hamas on Friday is hers.

“Our Shiri was murdered in captivity and has now returned residence,” the household stated in a press release. Israel’s forensic officers who’ve been analyzing the physique are but to verify the identification.

Stays handed over by Hamas on Thursday which it stated had been these of Shiri Bibas turned out to be an unidentified girl, Israel stated.

It comes as six residing hostages are being handed over by Hamas on Saturday as a part of a ceasefire deal. Greater than 600 Palestinian prisoners shall be freed by Israel in alternate.

The Bibas household stated: “For 16 months, we sought certainty, and now that we now have it, there isn’t a consolation in it, however we hope for the start of a closure.”

Hamas beforehand stated the mom and her two kids had been killed in an Israeli air strike.

Earlier, a senior Hamas official confirmed to the BBC that the handover of the brand new physique from Hamas to the Pink Cross had taken place on Friday night.

Israel had accused Hamas of breaking the phrases of the ceasefire deal after forensic testing confirmed the stays handed over on Thursday weren’t that of Shiri Bibas.

The our bodies of her sons, Ariel and Kfir, had been returned to Israel, as was that of one other hostage, Oded Lifschitz.

Hamas spokesman Ismail al-Thawabta stated in a submit on X on Friday that Shiri’s stays appeared to have been combined up with different our bodies beneath rubble after the air strike.

Israel has disputed the declare that Ariel and Kfir Bibas had been killed in an airstrike, with Israel Protection Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari telling a press convention “forensic findings”, which haven’t been seen by the BBC, steered the boys had been killed “intentionally”.

He stated proof had been shared with “companions around the globe to allow them to confirm it”.

Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas had been aged 32, 4 and 9 months respectively once they had been kidnapped in the course of the Hamas assaults on Israel on 7 October 2023.

They had been taken hostage together with the kids’s father, Yarden Bibas, 34, who was launched alive by Hamas on 1 February.

Beneath the primary section of a ceasefire deal, which started on 19 January and lasts for 42 days, Hamas agreed to launch 33 hostages in return for Israel liberating 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas is releasing six hostages on Saturday, in alternate for 602 Palestinian prisoners.

In subsequent phases of the settlement, Hamas will launch the remaining residing hostages from Gaza and return the our bodies of lifeless hostages. Israel has pledged to launch extra Palestinian prisoners.

Within the 7 October assaults, about 1,200 folks – principally civilians – had been killed and 251 others taken again to Gaza as hostages.

In response, Israel launched a large navy marketing campaign towards Hamas which has killed at the very least 48,319 Palestinians – primarily civilians – based on the Hamas-run Gaza well being ministry.