Israel vows Hamas will 'pay' for returning wrong body

Group denies deliberately handing over remains of unknown woman in place of Shiri Bibas but says 'mix-up' possible

- BEL TREW

Israel accused Hamas of handing over the remains of an unknown woman instead of an Israeli female hostage as bomb blasts rocked Tel Aviv in 24 hours of chaos that pushed the fragile ceasefire to the brink.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed vengeance and warned the Palestinian militant group would pay “the full price” for what he called a “cruel and malicious violation of the agreement” after they failed to return the body of Shiri Bibas. Hamas admitted there was the possibility of a “mix-up” but said it had “no interest in retaining any bodies”, adding it had “demonstrated full compliance with the agreement”.

Last night Hamas released a body it said was that of Shiri Bibas. Israeli medical authorities said forensic teams were preparing to examine the remains, which Hamas transferred via the Red Cross.

Palestinian militants filmed a terrified Ms Bibas clutching her two children, Ariel, four, and Kfir, nine months, as she was seized during their 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel. Her husband Yarden was also abducted, but was released in an earlier exchange this month. Ms Bibas and her boys were later killed.

The remains of Ariel and Kfir, as well as Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was taken, were handed back to Israel on Thursday as part of the deal and positively identified, the Israeli military said. However, they said the fourth body was not that of the boys’ mother, nor of any other hostage.

Citing a forensic examination of the remains, Daniel Hagari, the military spokesperson, also accused Hamas of killing the children with “their bare hands” in November 2023. Hamas has repeatedly blamed Israel’s ferocious bombardment of Gaza for the deaths of Ms Bibas, her children and Mr Lifshitz. It denied intentionally handing over the wrong remains, adding it would “conduct a thorough review” of the allegations.