Hamas Hands Over Body Allegedly of Israeli Captive Shiri Bibas Amid Ongoing Dispute

On Friday evening, Israeli Army Radio reported that the Red Cross had informed Tel Aviv of receiving a body from Hamas, which the group claimed belonged to Shiri Bibas.

The radio station, citing an unnamed Israeli security official, added that the Red Cross had requested Tel Aviv to dispatch specialized teams to receive and examine the body.

Meanwhile, Israel’s privately owned Channel 12 reported that the forensic institute in Tel Aviv was preparing to receive and examine the alleged body of Shiri within the next hour and a half.

According to the channel, Israeli authorities instructed the police to escort the coffin until it reached the forensic institute.

For its part, the Israeli army stated in a brief statement that reports regarding Shiri Bibas’ body were “under review.”

Earlier on Friday, Israel’s public broadcaster said authorities were verifying reports that Hamas had handed over Shiri Bibas’ body to the Red Cross.

On Thursday, Palestinian factions in Gaza delivered four coffins containing the bodies of Israeli captives, claiming they belonged to Shiri Bibas, her two children Kfir and Ariel, and captive Oded Lifshitz. This was part of the seventh batch of the first phase of the ongoing ceasefire agreement.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in a video address early Friday that Hamas had returned the body of a woman from Gaza, not that of captive Shiri Bibas, vowing to retaliate against the group for “violating the agreement,” according to his claim.

In response, Hamas issued a statement on Friday saying it would “thoroughly investigate these claims and announce the findings clearly.”

The movement added, “We acknowledge the possibility of an error or mix-up in the bodies, which may have resulted from Israeli occupation forces targeting and bombing the location where the family was present along with other Palestinians.”