The body of Shiri Bibas, who was taken hostage by Hamas along with her two sons, was returned to Israel, her family confirmed early Saturday — and Israeli officials reportedly said she was murdered in captivity.
Bibas’ remains were identified in the early hours of Saturday morning at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute after Hamas handed off ‘anonymous unidentified’ remains in a previous exchange, The Times of Israel reported.
Kibbutz Nir Oz, the village where the Bibas family lived, said Saturday that the mother was murdered while being held hostage in Gaza.
Israeli officials also said an assessment determined Bibas was “brutally” murdered alongside her two young children in November 2023, according to the report.
“Shiri was a wonderful mother to Ariel and Kfir, a loving partner to Yarden, a dedicated sister and aunt and incredible friend,” her family said in a statement Saturday. “Thanks to everyone for your support and love these 16 months, we wish that Shiri could be here to see it.”
Earlier Friday, the Red Cross transferred a body from Hamas to Israel that was said to be Shiri Bibas.
Hamas previously claimed to have presented Israel with the victim’s remains — but the Jewish state announced on Thursday that the body they were given was not the hostage who, with her children, had captivated the sympathies of the world.
The Israel Defense Forces called the action a “serious violation,” of the agreement struck between the two warring parties.
“There are no words that can describe such an atrocity. Hamas not only murdered Ariel and Kfir Bibas in cold blood – a four-year-old boy and a ten-month-old baby — but continues to violate every basic moral value even after their death,” Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said in a statement Thursday.
Bibas and her two children Ariel and Kfir — who were just 4 years old and 10 months old respectively — were killed while in captivity after being taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023.
The two young children were reportedly brutally murdered with bare hands with Hamas militants committing “horrific acts” to cover up their atrocities — contradicting claims from Hamas that the young family had died as a result of Israeli airstrikes.
Yarden Bibas, patriarch of the family, was also taken hostage but was freed, alive, on Feb. 1.
Hamas is expected to free six living hostages on Saturday morning local time as the steps in the ceasefire deal continue to play out.
