The Hamas militants displayed four black coffins on a stage in the Gaza Strip surrounded by banners, including a large one depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a vampire.
Hamas returns bodies of Israeli hostages: In the latest development in the Gaza ceasefire agreement, Hamas on Thursday released the bodies of four Israeli hostages, which includes a mother and her two children. The remains were reported to be of Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, as well as Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was abducted. Kfir, who was 9 months old when he was taken, was the youngest captive, AP reports.
A post from the X account of the Israel Defence Forces says, “According to information communicated by the Red Cross, four caskets of deceased hostages were transferred to them, and they are being taken to IDF and ISA forces in Gaza.”
Militants display banner depicting Netanyahu as vampire
The militants displayed four black coffins on a stage in the Gaza Strip surrounded by banners, including a large one depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a vampire. The coffins were handed over to the Red Cross, which were then covered in white sheets before placing them inside.
The Red Cross convoy headed back to Israel, where authorities will carry out the formal identification of the remains using DNA, expected to take up to two days. Only then will the families be given the final notification. The Israeli military confirmed it had received the coffins. Notably, the Israeli channels did not broadcast the handover.
Thousands of people, including large numbers of masked and armed fighters from Hamas and other factions, gathered at the handover site on the outskirts of the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.
What will be the impact on Israeli population?
The return of their bodies dashed the hopes of Israelis who were hoping for their survival and comes as another blow to a nation still reeling from Hamas’ assault. But it is also likely to fuel anger over the government’s failure to bring home some 250 hostages sooner and safely, and it could step up pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend the ceasefire.
(With inputs from AP)
