Breaking: The Red Cross Received a Casket  Allegedly Containing Shiri Bibas

This evening (Friday), Hamas handed over a casket to the Red Cross, claiming that it contains the remains of Shiri Bibas. This comes after the group transferred the body of a Gazan woman to Israel yesterday instead of that of the mother of Kfir and Ariel, the young children brutally murdered in captivity. The Red Cross was summoned to receive the casket in Gaza, and shortly thereafter, an Israeli official confirmed that the organization's personnel had received it and were en route to IDF forces.

Israel has been making preparations accordingly. The Hostage and Missing Persons Command Center has been activated, and teams from the National Institute of Forensic Medicine have been summoned. Meanwhile, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi told Qatar’s Al-Araby channel that the organization had "delivered the hostage Shiri Bibas."

The IDF stated that its representatives are in contact with the Bibas family and urged responsibility in reporting to prevent the spread of unverified information that could harm ongoing efforts.

Forensic teams are preparing to conduct an identification process overnight. The Ministry of Health confirmed that the National Institute of Forensic Medicine is ready to perform the necessary examinations and reiterated its call to the public to avoid spreading malicious rumors. Dr. Gilad Bodenheimer, head of the ministry’s mental health division, acknowledged the difficult uncertainty of these hours and expressed hope that "Hamas will not deceive us again."

Later that night, the IDF Spokesperson announced that, based on intelligence and forensic findings from the identification process, Ariel and Kfir Bibas were murdered in captivity by terrorists in November 2023. Regarding Shiri Bibas, the IDF stated: "The identification process has determined that the additional body received is not that of Shiri Bibas and does not match any of the other hostages. It is an unidentified body. This constitutes a severe violation by Hamas, which was obligated under the agreement to return four deceased hostages. We demand that Hamas return Shiri along with all our hostages."

Brigadier General Hagari reiterated the call for the return of Shiri Bibas in a special statement, describing the horrifying circumstances of Kfir and Ariel’s murder. "The mother of Kfir and Ariel, Shiri, has not yet been returned home. The body handed over is that of an unidentified woman," he stated. "Hamas has failed to meet its obligations and has not returned Shiri. We demand her immediate return, as her absence is a grave violation of the agreement."

Earlier in the evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the situation, vowing to act decisively to bring Shiri back home "along with all our hostages—both the living and the deceased." In his statement, he issued a stern warning to Hamas: "We will ensure that Hamas pays the full price for this cruel and malicious violation of the agreement." Netanyahu also promised retribution: "The sacred memory of Oded Lifshitz, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas will be forever etched in the heart of our nation. May God avenge their blood. And so will we."