Netanyahu Slams 'Malicious Violation' of Gaza Ceasefire Over Release of Slain Hostages

Jerusalem: After a body of slain hostage released by Hamas was found not to be that of an Israeli mother of two, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed revenge, calling it a “cruel and malicious violation” of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

The incident has raised doubts about the stability of the fragile ceasefire. Six more living hostages are set to be released Saturday under the temporary truce, which has halted over 15 months of conflict.

Hamas Delivers Four Bodies, But Not as Promised

Hamas militants handed over four bodies on Thursday as part of the ceasefire agreement. However, they were not the bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Kfir and Ariel, nor of 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz, who was kidnapped during the Hamas attack that initiated the war on October 7, 2023.

Israeli officials said that while the remains of the two boys and of Lifshitz were positively identified, the fourth body was found to not be that of Shiri Bibas, or of any other Israeli hostage held in Gaza.

Benjamin Netanyahu said, “We will work with determination to bring Shiri home together with all our hostages — both living and dead — and ensure that Hamas pays the full price for this cruel and malicious violation of the agreement,” 

“The sacred memory of Oded Lifshitz and Ariel and Kfir Bibas will be forever enshrined in the heart of the nation. May God avenge their blood. And so we will avenge.” Netayahu added.

Also read: Dealing With Monsters: Netanyahu After Hamas Offers To Handover Bodies Of 4 Hostages

Twist in Hostage Saga: Fourth Body Identified as Gaza Woman

Netanyahu revealed that the fourth body handed over by Hamas was that of a woman from Gaza. Hamas has yet to respond to Israel’s claim regarding the identity of the remains, adding a new twist to the ongoing saga surrounding the Bibas family, which has become a symbol of the Israeli hostages' plight.

During the ceasefire, which began in January, Hamas has been releasing living hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails. Thursday’s release marked the first time the group has returned the remains of dead hostages.

The Israeli army said Thursday that the fourth body released by Hamas was an “anonymous, unidentified body.” It said the Bibas family had been notified, including Yarden Bibas, Shiri’s husband and father of the two boys, who had been taken captive separately from his wife and children and was released early this month as part of the ceasefire deal.

Hamas has claimed Lifshitz, Shiri Bibas and her sons were killed in Israeli airstrikes. But Israel said the testing had found the two boys and Lifshitz were killed by their captors.