Israel accuses Hamas of violating hostage exchange agreement
Photo: Hamas was accused of handing over a fake body of a dead hostage (Getty Images)
Israel has identified the bodies of four hostages handed over by Hamas militants. Among them are the confirmed bodies of an elderly man and two children, but the fourth body does not belong to their mother. Israel is demanding that the deceased woman be returned to her family, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reports.
The National Institute of Forensic Medicine, in cooperation with the Israel Police, completed the identification of several bodies of Israel hostages handed over by militants. Following this, IDF representatives informed the Bibas family that their loved ones, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, had been identified.
According to professional assessments, intelligence data, and forensic findings, Ariel and Kfir were brutally murdered while in terrorist captivity in November 2023.
During the identification process, it was also determined that the additional body handed over was not that of Shiri Bibas and did not match any other hostage. The Israeli military stated that this is an unidentified and anonymous body.
"This is a violation of utmost severity by the Hamas terrorist organization, which is obligated under the agreement to return four deceased hostages. We demand that Hamas return Shiri home along with all our hostages," the IDF statement says.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the terrorists "pure evil" that must be eradicated.
"On October 7, 2023, terrorists in Gaza abducted a mother, her child, her infant son, and an 83-year-old man and murdered them. More than 500 days later, Hamas returned them to Israel in coffins. We extend our deepest sympathies for the victims' families who have suffered the unimaginable. ALL hostages must come home NOW," Rubio wrote on social media platform X.
Return of deceased hostages
On Thursday, February 20, Hamas militants handed over the bodies of four hostages who were abducted during the militants' invasion on October 7, 2023.
At the time of his death, Ariel Bibas was four years old, and Kfir Bibas was ten months old. They were kidnapped along with their mother, Shiri Bibas, from their home in Nir Oz.
Their father, Yarden Bibas, had stepped outside to defend his family and was captured by militants. Soon after, Shiri and the children were also taken hostage. Yarden was returned to Israel as part of a hostage exchange agreement on February 1, 2025.
Another deceased hostage whose body was returned was Israeli citizen Oded Lifshitz. He was 83 years old at the time of his abduction.
Hamas claims that all these hostages allegedly died as a result of an Israeli airstrike using American missiles.
Israel-Hamas agreement and its violation
On January 19, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages. The deal established a truce in the Gaza Strip.
According to the agreement, Israel releases Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Hamas freeing live hostages and returning the bodies of deceased Israelis.
On February 15, Hamas militants handed over three Israeli hostages, while Israel released 369 Palestinian prisoners in return.
On the evening of February 20, a series of explosions occurred in three buses parked in a Tel Aviv suburb. According to preliminary reports, no one was injured.
The Hamas group claimed responsibility for the incidents.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the IDF to conduct an operation against terrorists in the West Bank of the Jordan River.
