Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed “revenge” on Hamas after the militant group returned a body that was not identified as belonging to an Israeli hostage. The mistake occurred during the exchange of four bodies between Israel and Hamas, which had released the remains of four deceased Israeli hostages.
Netanyahu criticized Hamas for its actions, saying they showed “no humanity” in their treatment of the Bibas family. He stated that Israel will take “determination” to bring back Shiri Bibas and all other missing hostages alive or dead. Netanyahu also accused Hamas of killing two young children, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, with their bare hands.
Hamas denied the allegations, stating they were “nothing but pure lies” and claimed the family was killed in an Israeli airstrike. The group said it will “examine these claims very seriously.” The International Committee of the Red Cross stated that it had received human remains from Hamas but could not confirm any additional details.
Israel plans to release six living hostages on Saturday as part of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, which began January 19 and is supposed to last 42 days. Negotiations for the second phase are expected to begin soon, with mediators pushing to start talks as soon as possible.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/International/netanyahu-vows-revenge-after-israel-accuses-hamas-sending/story?id=119033790