Hamas has failed to return the body of an Israeli hostage, Shiri Bibas, after handing over three other bodies as part of a cease-fire deal with Israel. The revelation has raised concerns about the future of the fragile truce and a planned prisoner swap.
According to Israel, forensic testing found that one of the bodies handed over by Hamas did not belong to Ms. Bibas. The Palestinian militant group acknowledged there may have been a mix-up, but said it would investigate.
The four hostages – Shiri Bibas, her two children, Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz – were kidnapped from Nir Oz in October 2023 during Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel. Israel says the three returned bodies belong to Mr. Lifshitz and the two children, while the fourth remains unidentified.
Hamas has condemned International criticism, including from the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, who called its actions “abhorrent and cruel.” The group has vowed to move forward with the cease-fire agreement despite Israel’s accusation that it did not uphold its end of the deal.
The planned prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas is set to go ahead as planned on Saturday. However, the future of the truce remains uncertain, with big questions surrounding the terms for an extension. The first phase of the cease-fire expires in less than two weeks, leaving both sides to negotiate their next steps.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/21/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-shiri-bibas.html