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A devastating day

Live coverage: 4 slain hostages are coming home

We will update as soon as more information is available.

Red Cross vehicles arrive to collect bodies of slain Israeli hostages

10:00AM According to the information provided by the Red Cross, four coffins containing deceased hostages have been transferred to their custody and are being transported to IDF and Shin Bet forces in the Gaza Strip.

10:14AM, the Red Cross transferred their coffins to the IDF in the Gaza Strip.

10:30AM IDF soldiers received and carried the coffins from Red Cross representatives inside the Gaza Strip. Following consultations with relevant authorities, officials decided to postpone the traditional Kaddish prayer reading by the Chief Military Rabbi until after the completion of the formal identification process.

Israeli journalist Sulaiman Maswadeh reports that Hamas has delivered the coffins containing the murdered hostages with a final act of psychological warfare - the coffins were locked, and the keys provided deliberately don't work.

Yizhar, Oded Lipschitz's son who Hamas allegedly released today along with the Bibas family, told News 12: "We are waiting for a response from Abu Kabir. We knew and felt it - but when it's tangible, it's tangible."

The IDF will now transport the slain hostages to Abu Kabir, where they will undergo a comprehensive identification process, and after that, a statement will be made to the Israeli public.

Israelis lined the streets, waving flags, in the stormy weather, to accompany the vehicles containing the slain hostages.

Israelis line the streets, waving flags, as they bid farewell to our slain hostages
Israelis line the streets, waving flags, as they bid farewell to our slain hostages

11:00 AM Israeli officials expressed strong objection to Hamas's handling of the transfer process and they filed a formal protest with mediating parties over Hamas's staging of a 'ceremonial event' during the transfer of the coffins, according to Kan 11, Israel's public broadcaster.

11:17 AM Security concerns led to additional precautionary measures during the transfer process. The four coffins underwent X-ray scanning for security purposes, military officials confirmed. Following the scan, forces checked all the coffins' locks to ensure they could be opened, preventing any potential delays at the Institute of Forensic Medicine - all coffins were verified to be accessible.

11:30 AM IDF forces are currently draping the coffins of the deceased hostages with Israeli flags, military sources report. While the IDF is documenting the process for the families, the photographs will only be released if and when the families give their explicit permission for distribution.

IDF soldiers carrying coffins of fallen hostages
IDF soldiers carrying coffins of fallen hostages (Photo: IDF Spokesperson)

1:25 PM The convoy carrying the slain hostages arrives at Abu Kabir.

ZAKA volunteers, who witnessed Hamas's atrocities up close in the Gaza envelope communities on October 7, also accompanied the convoy of coffins carrying the bodies of the kidnapped victims on their way to the Institute of Forensic Medicine.

Israelis gathered at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv to mark the tragedy.

People seen at Hostage square in Tel Aviv, on the day of the release of the bodies of four Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity, February 20, 2025.
People seen at Hostage square in Tel Aviv, on the day of the release of the bodies of four Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity, February 20, 2025. (Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
View of Hostage square in Tel Aviv, on the day of the release of the bodies of four Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity, February 20, 2025.
View of Hostage square in Tel Aviv, on the day of the release of the bodies of four Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity, February 20, 2025. (Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Pacifiers at Hostage square in Tel Aviv, on the day of the release of the bodies of four Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity, February 20, 2025.
Pacifiers at Hostage square in Tel Aviv, on the day of the release of the bodies of four Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity, February 20, 2025. (Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
People seen at Hostage square in Tel Aviv, on the day of the release of the bodies of four Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity, February 20, 2025.
People seen at Hostage square in Tel Aviv, on the day of the release of the bodies of four Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity, February 20, 2025. (Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Hostage Square
Hostage Square (Photo: Chaim Goldberg / Flash90)

The Israeli Health Ministry also advised the public to limit their exposure to the media today, in order to protect their mental health when dealing with such a devastating ending.

The Bibas family touched people's hearts all over the world and we were horrified to learn that they did not survive captivity, even though Hamas said that they were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza more than a year ago - we all held out hope that they were lying, as they have done in the past.

May their memories be blessed.
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