The announcement of Israel that a body returned from Gaza on Thursday was not that of Shiri Bibas, as Hamas said, throws another stumbling block in this ceasefire agreement.
It was thought that the remains of Shiri, mother of two, had been given with those of her children.
But the Israeli army said that medical-legal tests could only confirm the bodies of Ariel and Kfir, which would have been five and two years old, not those of their mother.
Instead, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas “put a woman’s body in a coffin”, with Ismail Al-Thawabta, spokesperson for Hamas, suggesting that the remains of Shiri had been mixed with other bodies under waste after an Israeli air strike.
In a separate declaration, the group declared having confirmed its “seriousness and its total commitment to all our obligations” under the cease-fire-and that it had “no interest in non-compliance”.
He also said that an investigation into the confusion was underway and called on the remains of the alleged Palestinian who are wrongly given to Israel to have returned.
The Bibas family was part of 251 people taken hostage during the Hamas October 7, 2023 attacks against Israel, as well as Shiri’s husband, Yarden, who was released earlier this month.
Israel launched a massive military campaign against Hamas in response, which killed at least 48,297 Palestinians – mainly civilians – according to the Ministry of Health managed by Hamas.
Ariel and Kfir, the youngest of Israeli hostages, were four and nine months old when they were kidnapped. Their mother was 32 years old.
Netanyahu threatened that Hamas will pay the “total price” for not having put the body of Shiri, calling it “cruel and perverse violation” of their agreement.
No measure has yet been announced beyond Netanyahu saying that Israel will act “with determination to bring Shiri home”.
But another assertion of Israel that Erians and Kfir had been “murdered by cold -blooded terrorists” will ignite feelings in Israel more.
In November 2023, Hamas said the boys and Shiri had been killed during an air strike from TDI. The BBC has not been able to check it independently.
Friday, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said that medical-legal tests had revealed that Hamas had killed Ariel and Kfir “with bare hands”.
“Subsequently, they committed horrible acts to cover these atrocities,” he said, without giving details on the alleged injuries. Hamas has not yet responded to these accusations.
For Israeli politicians inside and outside the Netanyahu government who demanded a resumption of war in Gaza, these statements will be considered more evidence than Hamas must be completely eradicated.
The ceasefire is entering a new period of uncertainty, with the first end phase-while negotiations on the next step have not yet started seriously.
The second phase – in which all remaining, alive or dead hostages should be released – was considered from the start as potentially more difficult than the first.
Israel demands the complete disarmament of Hamas, while Hamas rejects the prospect of Israel which continues to maintain close security control over Gaza.
Any major ventilation of the agreement could see a return to the fighting.
On the other hand, however, is perhaps the majority of public opinion in Israel – that nothing should hinder all the remaining hostages.
By expressing his condemnation of the latest developments, the president of Israel Isaac Herzog clearly indicated that Israel had to remember what he called his “greatest duty – to do everything in our power to bring back each of the sisters and kidnapped brothers “.
The removal forum and missing families echoed this, saying that “each step” must be taken with “careful responsibility” to ensure the safe return of all hostages.
A fourth body was returned to Israel, from Gaza on Thursday – that of the 84 -year -old peace activist Oded Lifschitz. Like Ariel and Kfir Bibas, the Israeli army said ODED’s remains had been confirmed by medical-legal tests.
