{"id":243466,"date":"2025-02-21T02:14:05","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T02:14:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/21\/israel-says-shiri-bibas-is-missing-after-hamas-returns-her-sons-remains\/"},"modified":"2025-02-21T02:14:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T02:14:05","slug":"israel-says-shiri-bibas-is-missing-after-hamas-returns-her-sons-remains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/21\/israel-says-shiri-bibas-is-missing-after-hamas-returns-her-sons-remains\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel Says Shiri Bibas Is Missing After Hamas Returns Her Sons\u2019 Remains"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/02\/20\/multimedia\/20israel-bibas-family-tkvj\/20israel-bibas-family-tkvj-facebookJumbo.jpg?ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Israel Says Shiri Bibas Is Missing After Hamas Returns Her Sons\u2019 Remains\" title=\"Israel Says Shiri Bibas Is Missing After Hamas Returns Her Sons\u2019 Remains\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The two tiny redheaded boys had captured the hearts of Israelis and became symbols of the long and emotional campaign for the release of the scores of hostages seized during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Thursday, under gray, stormy skies, an anguished nation marked an unofficial day of mourning after <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/20\/world\/middleeast\/israel-hamas-hostages-bodies.html\" title=\"\">Hamas handed over<\/a> three black coffins that the group said bore the remains of Ariel Bibas, who was only 4 when he was taken captive to the Gaza Strip; his baby brother, Kfir Bibas, who was not even 9 months old at the time; and their mother, Shiri Bibas, who was 32.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A fourth coffin bore the remains of Oded Lifshitz, an octogenarian grandfather, a peace activist and a founder of the pastoral Israeli <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2024\/10\/06\/world\/israel-hamas-october-7-gaza-war\/mourners-gather-in-nir-oz-an-emblem-of-israels-security-failures?smid=url-share\" title=\"\">village of Nir Oz<\/a>, near the border with Gaza, where he and the Bibas family resided.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">All were alive when taken. And later it would be revealed that only three of the four were actually returned. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At a grotesque handover ceremony in Gaza on Thursday morning, with loud music blaring in the background, the coffins were put on display on a podium bearing images from family photos that were also used in Israel for hostage posters: Ariel in a little white polo shirt; Kfir with a wide, toothless grin clutching a bright pink cuddly toy; and Shiri Bibas, smiling and radiant before the family\u2019s world fell in.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The masked gunmen, though, appeared to have mixed up the children\u2019s pictures and names.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In the early hours of Friday morning, the Israeli military announced in a statement that the remains of Ariel and Kfir had been positively identified by Israel\u2019s National Center of Forensic Medicine and the Israel police.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Lifshitz\u2019s body had been positively identified earlier on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But in a shocking and gut-wrenching twist, the military said that the identification process had determined that the additional body received was not that of Shiri Bibas, and that no match was found for any other hostage. \u201cThis is an anonymous, unidentified body,\u201d the military said, calling the apparent ruse a \u201cviolation of utmost severity\u201d of Hamas\u2019s cease-fire agreement with Israel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The revelation, which came as most Israelis were probably sleeping, was likely to further jolt the country, jeopardize the cease-fire and prolong the collective agony surrounding the Bibas tragedy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Yarden Bibas, Ms. Bibas\u2019s husband and the children\u2019s father, was abducted separately during the Oct. 7 assault, bleeding from a head wound. He was <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/01\/world\/middleeast\/israel-hamas-hostages-gaza.html\" title=\"\">released<\/a> alive this month as part of the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that came into effect in January.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But the fate of the rest of his family has tormented Israelis, underscoring what many here view as the cruelty of Hamas. Ms. Bibas\u2019s elderly parents were also killed in the October 2023 attack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cDear citizens of Israel, on this day we are all united in grief that is too heavy to bear,\u201d Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday, in a somber message to an aching nation. \u201cToday, every home in Israel bows its head.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A month after the war set off by the Hamas attack began, the group\u2019s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, claimed that Ms. Bibas and her two children had been killed in an Israeli airstrike. Fears grew in Israel when they were not among the other captive mothers and children released during a weeklong cease-fire that month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But the Israeli authorities had not confirmed their deaths, let alone the circumstances, saying only that there was \u201cgrave concern\u201d over the hostages\u2019 fates.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Relatives held out hope until the very end.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">After Hamas announced on Tuesday that it would release the Bibases\u2019 remains, the family expressed anger over the early eulogizing in the news media of Ms. Bibas and the children before Israel had even determined that they had been killed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cShould we receive devastating news, it must come through the proper official channels after all identification procedures are completed,\u201d the family said in a statement on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Israeli military\u2019s statement on Friday said that the available intelligence and forensic findings indicated that the two Bibas boys had been \u201cbrutally murdered by terrorists in captivity in 2023,\u201d without elaborating. The Israeli government did not immediately provide details of the cause of Mr. Lifshitz\u2019s death, but said he had been \u201cmurdered in captivity\u201d by Islamic Jihad, a smaller Palestinian armed group that has been holding a number of hostages. Hamas asserted that Mr. Lifshitz, too, had been killed in an Israeli airstrike. None of the claims could be independently verified.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Hamas turned over the bodies as part of a series of negotiated exchanges in the first phase of the cease-fire agreement. In recent weeks it has released 19 living Israeli hostages.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The agreement provides for the release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for more than 1,500 Palestinian imprisoned in Israel during the first phase, which, barring an extension, is set to expire in early March.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Israeli government said last month that Hamas had provided a list indicating that 25 of the 33 hostages were alive and that eight had been killed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Roughly 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas-led 2023 attack and more than 250 abducted, according to Israel. Nir Oz was one of the hardest-hit communities, with about a quarter of its 400 residents either killed or taken hostage. Kfir was the youngest to be seized.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The attack prompted Israel to declare war on Hamas and invade Gaza in a 15-month military campaign that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians and combatants and left much of the coastal enclave in ruins.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Thursday, groups of Israelis stood in the rain and held silent vigils along the route as the four coffins were transferred in a convoy from Gaza to the National Center of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Eylon Keshet, Mr. Bibas\u2019s cousin, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/11\/22\/world\/middleeast\/gaza-israel-child-hostages-families.html\" title=\"\">described<\/a> Ariel in November 2023 as a boy who loved being the center of attention and playing with toy tractors and cars. Kfir, he said, was a \u201cchill\u201d baby who was just beginning to eat solid food.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Hostage Families Forum, an organization advocating for the hostages and their families, described Ms. Bibas in a statement as \u201ca dedicated mother and accountant, known for her boundless kindness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThey weren\u2019t just names,\u201d the forum said of the deceased hostages, adding, \u201cThey were beloved people, with families who cherished them, with dreams and futures stolen from them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/20\/world\/middleeast\/bibas-hostages-israel.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The two tiny redheaded boys had captured the hearts of Israelis and became symbols of the long and emotional campaign for the release of the scores of hostages seized during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023. On Thursday, under gray, stormy skies, an anguished nation marked an unofficial day of mourning after Hamas handed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":243467,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/02\/20\/multimedia\/20israel-bibas-family-tkvj\/20israel-bibas-family-tkvj-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[179329,5552,38,2694,1260,6512,132167,6184],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243466"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243466"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243466\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":243468,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243466\/revisions\/243468"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}