Hamas Investigates Possible Mix-Up of Remains Amid Israeli Claims of Agreement Violation

Watan-The Hamas movement stated today, Friday, that it will consider the possibility of an error or mix-up of remains due to Israeli bombing. This comes after the Israeli occupation announced that one of the four bodies it received from the movement on Thursday, under the ceasefire agreement, was unidentified and did not belong to Shiri Bibas.

The movement expressed surprise at the uproar caused by the occupation following its claim that the body allegedly belonging to captive Shiri Bibas did not match DNA tests.

Hamas indicated that it would investigate the possibility of an error or mix-up in the bodies due to the occupation’s targeting and bombing of the location where the Bibas family was being held along with other Palestinians. It affirmed that it would examine the occupation’s claims “with complete seriousness” and would transparently announce the results of its review and investigation.

Hamas also emphasized the need to move forward with implementing the agreement’s obligations at all levels, reaffirming its seriousness and full commitment to its responsibilities. The movement stressed that it has “no interest in failing to comply or in retaining any bodies in its possession,” while calling on Israel to return the body that it claims belongs to a Palestinian woman.

The Israeli army announced on Friday that one of the four bodies it received from Hamas on Thursday under the ceasefire agreement was unidentified and not Israeli. The Abu Kabir Forensic Institute confirmed the identity of Oded Lipschitz, one of the detainees whose remains were returned late last night. The army stated that it had verified that two of the bodies handed over by Hamas on Thursday belonged to Kfir and Ariel Bibas, but the other body did not belong to their mother, Shiri, and did not match any other Israeli captives.

The Israeli army’s statement alleged that “based on the assessment of relevant authorities, available intelligence, and indicators from the identification process, Ariel and Kfir Bibas were brutally killed in captivity in November 2023 by terrorists.” However, Palestinian resistance factions maintain that the detainees were killed by Israeli airstrikes.

The statement further noted that “during the identification process, it was determined that the other body handed over did not belong to Shiri Bibas or to any other kidnapped individuals. It remains unidentified and lacks proper identification.” The Israeli army deemed this a “serious violation” by Hamas, which had committed under the agreement to returning four kidnapped individuals. It demanded that Hamas return Shiri Bibas along with all other captives.

Previously, Palestinian resistance factions had released the father of the family, Yarden Bibas, alive as part of the current deal.

Netanyahu Accuses Hamas of Violating Ceasefire Deal

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked Hamas, stating that Israel received the body of a Palestinian woman from Gaza instead of the remains of Israeli captive Shiri Bibas. In a statement, Netanyahu said, “They did not return Shiri; instead, they placed the body of a woman from Gaza in the coffin. We will act decisively to bring Shiri home along with all our kidnapped individuals, both alive and deceased, and we will ensure that Hamas pays the full price for this cruel and evil violation of the agreement.”

The Hebrew-language website Walla reported that Israel sent urgent messages to mediators, clarifying that this constituted a “violation of the agreement” and demanding the return of Shiri. An unnamed Israeli official told the site, “We don’t know why they did this; there is great shock here. We demand her return (Shiri). It is important that Saturday’s scheduled prisoner exchange takes place as planned.” Israeli broadcaster Kan quoted an Israeli official saying, “Hamas’ actions are horrific and will not go unanswered, but this should not affect the release of six living hostages on Saturday.”

Meanwhile, the Families of Hostages and Detainees Forum said in a statement that “the news that mother Shiri has not been returned, despite the agreement and our hopes, is shocking and heartbreaking.”

Reuters quoted the Red Cross as saying it was “concerned and dissatisfied” with how Hamas carried out the release of detainees. In a statement, the International Committee of the Red Cross stated, “The Red Cross does not participate in the inspection, examination, or identification of deceased individuals; that is the responsibility of the warring parties.” It also expressed concern that the hostage release operations “were not conducted in a private or dignified manner.”

Meanwhile, Haaretz reported that Israeli security agencies were awaiting political directives on whether to continue implementing the ceasefire agreement “in light of Hamas’ violation of it.” However, at this stage, they were preparing for the release of Palestinian prisoners on Saturday as originally planned. The resistance factions are also scheduled to release six more living Israeli captives that same day, along with four more bodies of Israeli detainees on the following Thursday.

The Walla website reported that according to estimates, Israel is not inclined to cancel the deal to avoid endangering the six living hostages expected to be released by the resistance factions. It added, “After completing the upcoming exchange, which Israel hopes will proceed smoothly without issues, a decisive discussion is expected regarding the second phase of the deal. Security agencies are expected to recommend that the Israeli political leadership take steps in response to this ‘major violation’ of the agreement and advise the government to issue a final ultimatum to Hamas within the next day regarding the deadline for returning Shiri Bibas. This ultimatum may include halting some of the concessions Israel agreed to allow into Gaza as part of the deal.”

Shiri Bibas and her two children were originally supposed to be released in the first exchange deal in November 2023, but Hamas announced at the time that they had been killed in an Israeli attack. The Israeli army later stated that it could not verify Hamas’ claims, though its spokesperson had repeatedly expressed serious concerns about their fate.