Hamas Says It Will Return Bodies of 4 Israeli Hostages, Including Bibas Children
By The Media Line Staff
Hamas has agreed to release six living hostages on Saturday and return the bodies of four Israeli captives on Thursday, including Kfir and Ariel Bibas, the youngest hostages taken during the October 7 attack. The agreement was reached through negotiations in Cairo, involving Egyptian, Qatari, Israeli, and US officials, according to an Egyptian source.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office confirmed on Tuesday that the deal would include the release of six living hostages—an increase from the originally planned three—and the transfer of four bodies. Israel has not yet confirmed Hamas’ claim that the Bibas children are among the dead. The Israeli military had previously expressed “grave concerns” for the safety of the Bibas family but had not declared them deceased.
Hamas claimed in November 2023 that Kfir, then 9 months old, and Ariel, 4 years old, were killed along with their mother Shiri Bibas in an Israeli airstrike. The group later released a video of Yarden Bibas, their father, who was also kidnapped, blaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their deaths. Israel dismissed the footage as psychological warfare. Yarden was later freed on February 1 as part of a previous exchange.
The Bibas children have become a symbol of the hostage crisis, with Kfir’s image appearing on posters across Israel and around the world. In the widely circulated photo, the red-haired infant holds a pink elephant toy, smiling into the camera.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has informed the relatives of all hostages set for release, both living and deceased. The Israeli government has urged the media not to speculate on the names of the bodies being returned until official forensic identification is complete.
As part of the ongoing agreement, Hamas is expected to return four additional bodies next week. In exchange, Israel will release Palestinian prisoners, continuing the pattern of past exchanges.
The hostage deal comes as Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced that talks on the next phase of the truce could begin this week. He stated that negotiations aim to finalize a second round of hostage releases within the 42-day window outlined in the initial agreement. Saar also suggested that a longer-term truce remains an option, though no details have been confirmed.
According to Israeli sources, 14 of the 33 hostages designated for phase one of the deal have not yet been freed. Hamas claims eight of them are dead, a figure Israel has acknowledged aligns with its intelligence. The only confirmed fatality among them is Shlomo Mantzur. The fate of Shiri, Kfir, and Ariel Bibas remains unverified by Israeli authorities.
While this latest exchange marks progress in negotiations, the broader conflict continues. Over 100 hostages remain in Gaza, and talks in Cairo are expected to focus on securing their release in the next phase of the agreement.
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