Following the discovery that a coffin labeled with Shiri Bibas’ name and photo contained the body of an unidentified woman, not the abducted mother, the Israeli Prime Minister has promised to exact “revenge” on Hamas.
Hamas was scheduled to release the remains of Shiri, Ariel, Kfir Bibas, and Oded Lifshitz on Thursday. However, during the identification process, it was determined that the body in Shiri’s coffin was not hers.
“These Hamas monsters also cynically refused to bring back the boys’ mother, Shiri, and sent the body of a Gazan woman instead, in brazen violation of the agreement,” Netanyahu stated on Friday.
“As the prime minister of Israel, I pledge that I will not rest until the barbarians who murdered our hostages are brought to justice. They do not deserve to live. Nothing will deter me,” he added.
IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, citing forensic analysis and intelligence, confirmed Friday that Ariel and Kfir Bibas “were brutally murdered by terrorists. They did not shoot the two young boys, they killed them with their own hands. Afterward, they committed horrific acts to cover up these atrocities.”
Hagari stated that Hamas’ delivery of “the body of an anonymous woman” instead of Shiri Bibas was “further proof of Hamas’ barbaric cruelty.”
Ofri Bibas Levy, Yarden Bibas’ sister, offered a different perspective in a statement released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, we did not receive an apology from you in this painful moment. For Ariel and Kfir’s sake, and for Yarden’s sake, we are not seeking revenge right now. We are asking for Shiri,” Levy said in the statement.
The revelation that Shiri’s body was not returned along with her sons sparked widespread condemnation. World leaders and prominent figures, including Dr. Phil and Patricia Heaton, denounced Hamas’ actions and voiced their disgust with the terror group.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-NY, a vocal supporter of Israel, criticized those condemning the Jewish state’s response to Hamas’ attacks.
“Those who insist that Israel stop defending itself in the face of genocidal terror are asking the world’s only Jewish State to sign a suicide pact that no other nation-state, including our own, would ever sign,” Torres wrote on X.
U.S. Envoy for Hostages Adam Boehler, speaking with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Thursday, described the event as “horrific” and “a clear violation” of the ceasefire agreement. Boehler warned that if Hamas fails to release all remaining hostages, it will “face total annihilation.”
Netanyahu also addressed the fallen Israelis whose bodies were returned by Hamas on Thursday.
“Ariel, Kfir and Oded: I am so sorry we couldn’t save you from the monsters who did this. We honor your kind and loving souls, so tragically cut down by evil terror,” the prime minister said.
Israel is preparing to receive six living hostages on Saturday, including two who have been held in Gaza for over a decade.
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