Hamas returned the remains of four Israeli hostages on Thursday in a public handover ceremony in central Gaza.
The bodies were identified as Shiri Bibas, 32, her two young sons, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 9 months, and 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz, who were all abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
While Israelis are grieving, footage shows Palestinian crowds cheering and celebrating as the coffins were being transferred to the Red Cross.
BREAKING 🔴
Bibas babies, slaughtered by Hamas , greeted by ecstatic crowd of Palestinian Nazis . Watch 🔴 pic.twitter.com/BACQrhbH2u
— 🇮🇱🇺🇦Israel🎗 latest From Jerusalem🇮🇱🇺🇦 (@JerusalemDiary) February 20, 2025
Palestinian children celebrating the kidnapping and murder of Bibas family on the stage today 👇
This is the result of @UNRWA education.pic.twitter.com/LVCoSl6hiA
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) February 20, 2025
In a post on X Israeli President Isaac Herzog described the moment as “agony and pain beyond words.”
Agony. Pain. There are no words.
Our hearts — the hearts of an entire nation — lie in tatters.
On behalf of the State of Israel, I bow my head and ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness for not protecting you on that terrible day. Forgiveness for not bringing you home safely.
May…
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) February 20, 2025
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk criticized Hamas for displaying the hostages’ bodies in Gaza before they were handed over to Israel.
“The parading of bodies in the manner seen this morning is abhorrent and cruel, and flies in the face of international law,” said Turk. “We urge that all returns are conducted in privacy, and with respect and care.”
At a press conference on Thursday, Dr. Chen Kugel, the Head of Israel’s National Center of Forensic Medicine, confirmed that experts had identified one of the bodies as Lifshitz, but refrained from commenting on the other three bodies.
“We share in the deep sorrow of the Lifshitz family. Today, 503 days after the October 7 massacre, we have determined that Oded Lifshitz was murdered in captivity over a year ago,” Kugel stated. Earlier that day, the Prime Minister’s Office reported that Lifshitz had been “murdered in captivity by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.”
The handover comes as part of the ongoing ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Hamas is expected to return six living hostages on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees.
Israeli officials estimate that 66 hostages remain in Gaza, including at least 35 who are confirmed dead.
