Hamas said Friday it is investigating a possible mistake after handing over human remains to Israel that were wrongly identified as those of hostage Shiri Bibas, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation.
Under a ceasefire agreement, Hamas was expected to return the bodies of Bibas and her two young sons, Kfir and Ariel, along with a fourth hostage. Israeli authorities confirmed the identities of the Bibas boys and Oded Lifshitz, but said the fourth body was an unidentified woman, not Bibas.
Hamas official Basem Naim acknowledged that “unfortunate mistakes” can happen, blaming Israeli airstrikes for mixing the remains of Israeli hostages with Palestinian victims. “It is not in our values or interest to keep any bodies or violate agreements we sign,” he said. Hamas said it would investigate and announce its findings.
The misidentification outraged Israel, with Netanyahu calling it a “cruel and evil violation” of the ceasefire and warning Hamas would “pay the full price” for the incident.
In November, Hamas claimed Bibas and her children were killed in an Israeli airstrike, a charge Netanyahu’s office rejected, blaming Hamas for their deaths. Israeli officials said forensic analysis suggested the Bibas children were executed by their captors.
The dispute comes as tensions rise over the ceasefire, which has halted fighting in Gaza for weeks. Hamas is set to release six living hostages Saturday in exchange for 602 Palestinian prisoners. Talks on extending the truce and negotiating a second phase are expected in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu ordered intensified military operations in the occupied West Bank after explosions targeted empty buses near Tel Aviv, a reminder of deadly attacks during the Second Intifada.
A group representing hostage families expressed devastation over the Bibas case but urged that negotiations continue to secure the release of the remaining 70 hostages.
Despite the fallout, there was no immediate indication that Israel would withdraw from talks on the next phase of the ceasefire.