Israel Claims Hamas Returned 'Anonymous' Body Instead of Shiri Bibas

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19 hours ago

Above: People hold photos of the Bibas family and Oded Lifshitz who is confirmed dead after Hamas released his body during a rally at the hostages square following the handover of four hostages bodies by Hamas on Feb. 20, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Image copyright: Amir Levy/Stringer/Getty Images Europe via Getty Imagesstory last updated 10 hours ago

The Facts

Israel claimed on Thursday that Hamas had returned an "anonymous" body instead of Shiri Bibas, whose body was supposed to be released alongside the remains of her two children. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas would pay "the full price" for delivering the incorrect body.
Hamas, in turn, claimed that Shiri Bibas' remains appeared to have been mixed with other human remains due to Israeli airstrikes, adding that her body had been "turned into pieces" by the strikes. Hamas announced the deaths of the Bibas family early in the war, saying they were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Israeli authorities claimed after receiving the bodies that the Bibas children had been deliberately killed by Palestinian militants. Though still unclear, reports have indicated that Shiri Bibas and her two children were held by the Mujahideen Brigades, a Palestinian armed group separate from Hamas.

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Though Hamas' actions have been brutal and its theatrics macabre, the cease-fire should continue and negotiations must move forward. The only way to achieve the release of all the hostages and move past the horrors of Oct. 7 is to maintain and continue the cease-fire deal.

CNN

Pro-Israel narrative

Hamas' cruelty and barbarity knows no bounds, and the group's vile actions continue to demonstrate why the goals of the war must be achieved. Hamas killed two baby boys in cold blood yet expects Israel to bend over and pretend that nothing has changed. Indeed, this terrorist group must pay for its crimes.

Jerusalem Post

Pro-Palestine narrative

When Israel kills thousands of Palestinian children, where was the outrage? When Israel returned hundreds of dead Palestinians in bags and dumped their bodies, where was the outrage? Of course, the death of children is always a tragedy, but the clear double standard applied to Palestinians is outrageous, not to mention the fact that Israel killed these children and their mother in its vicious campaign of indiscriminate airstrikes.

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