Israel Receives Bodies of Four Hostages, Including Bibas Family, from Hamas

The remains of two young children, their mother, and an elderly man were returned as part of a truce agreement, prompting national mourning and criticism of leadership.

The bodies of Ariel and Kfir Bibas, aged 4 years and 9 months at the time of their abduction, their mother Shiri Bibas, and 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz were handed over to Israel by Hamas on February 20, 2025.
The return of the bodies occurred under a truce agreement that also includes the release of Palestinian detainees by Israel and further hostage exchanges in the coming days.
The Bibas family and Lifshitz had been abducted during the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, an event that left over 1,200 Israelis dead and sparked a prolonged conflict.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed deep sorrow, with Herzog publicly apologizing for the state's failure to protect the hostages.
The deaths of the Bibas family were previously claimed by Hamas to have resulted from Israeli airstrikes, but Israel has not confirmed this, and identification of the remains is ongoing.