Among the bodies that will be returned today by "Hamas" are the remains of the youngest and one of the oldest hostages captured during the attack on October 7, 2023, which led to the war in the Gaza Strip, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
The handover of the bodies, which is part of the ceasefire agreement that led to the end of the fighting in Gaza, will include the bodies of a mother and her two young children, whose fate has so far been unclear. In addition, the body of a retired 83-year-old journalist will also be handed over, the agency's source reported.
A civic forum representing the families of the hostages also confirmed the identities of the deceased.
This is the first confirmation from the Israeli side that the bodies of Ariel and Kfir Bibas, who were 4 years and 9 months old respectively when they were captured on October 7, 2023, will be returned along with their mother Shiri.
For many Israelis, the family is a symbol of the plight of the captives. The fate of the three members of the Bibas family was unclear for most of the war, and the family issued a statement yesterday asking Israelis to wait for the forensic identification of the remains before making memorial speeches.
The body of Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was kidnapped, will also be returned, the official said.
"The heart of the entire nation is breaking," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last night.