‘Grief Too Heavy to Bear’: Bodies of Four Israeli Hostages, Including Shiri Bibas and Two Sons, Returned to Israel

Latest Developments

• Four Deceased Israeli Hostages Home: The bodies of four Israeli hostages were returned to Israel on February 20 by the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist organization after they were kidnapped alive from their homes during the mass atrocities of October 7, 2023. Coffins containing the remains of Shiri Bibas, her two young sons Ariel and Kfir, as well as Oded Lifshitz, were transferred to a Red Cross contingent in Gaza before being returned home to Israel. Kfir Bibas was just nine months old on the day of his abduction from Kibbutz Nir Oz, Ariel was four years old, Shiri was 32, and prominent peace advocate Lifshitz was 84.
• Grotesque Ceremony in Gaza: A Hamas-choreographed release ceremony in Gaza took place against the backdrop of an antisemitic cartoon depicting a vampiric Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with fangs dripping blood. Several terrorist organizations participated in the ceremony, including the Hamas-aligned Mujahideen Brigades, which abducted Shiri Bibas and her children. Four black coffins were paraded onto the stage, with those containing Shiri and Oded bearing the phrase “Date of Arrest: October 7, 2023.” Celebratory music blared throughout the Gaza square, with crowds of Palestinian onlookers cheering as children attended a makeshift Hamas weapons show next to the main stage. After the coffins reached IDF troop positions in Gaza, sappers conducted security screenings, and a short ceremony led by a rabbi was held. The coffins were then draped with Israeli flags and transferred back to Israeli territory.
• World Reacts, Israel Mourns: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on February 20 that all Israeli citizens “are united in grief that is too heavy to bear,” adding a quote from Psalm 94:1: “God of vengeance, Lord God of vengeance appear.” Israelis lined the roads leading to Abu Kabir National Center of Forensic Medicine, where the bodies will be identified, singing the national anthem, “Hatikvah.” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said in a statement that “the hearts of an entire nation lie in tatters.” Argentine President Javier Milei declared a national day of mourning for dual Argentine-Israeli citizens Kfir and Ariel Bibas. U.S. Ambassador-designate to the United Nations Elise Stefanik said, “The hearts of the world break to learn of the horrific fate” of the four deceased hostages.

FDD Expert Response

“The moment we all dreaded for 18 months arrived today — Shiri Bibas and her little boys, Ariel and Kfir, finally returned from Gaza to be laid to rest with love and dignity. But even in death, Hamas couldn’t resist another grotesque spectacle, parading their coffins beside an antisemitic caricature of the Israeli prime minister as a blood-dripping vampire. The hatred is unmistakable. Until it is eradicated from Palestinian society, and Palestinians are thoroughly deradicalized, peace will remain impossible.” — Mark Dubowitz, CEO

“The smallest coffins are the heaviest. Ariel and Kfir’s bright red hair will burn on our collective conscience. They were just four years old and nine months old, respectively, when Palestinians stole them from their homes. The international community failed them and activists in the West cheered on their captors. The two boys’ return in caskets was a gut punch for Israelis and Jews worldwide and for all hoping against hope that this story would have anything other than a tragic end. They were symbols of innocence, and Hamas’s grotesque circus for their return was a display of pure evil.” — David May, Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst

“The majority of Palestinian terrorist groups that participated in the October 7 attack and the war that followed were present at the disgraceful spectacle Hamas organized for the handover of the Bibas family bodies and that of Oded Lifshitz. While their presence at the event was mainly for propaganda purposes, it also demonstrated that Palestinian terrorist groups in Hamas’s orbit remained steadfast in their evil cause of wiping out the State of Israel. Effectively, Hamas and its allies signaled that they would repeat another October 7 in the future.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“This is a somber turning point in the conflict. Now that the bodies of Shiri and her children have been returned, there are no longer women and children held in Gaza. However, terrorists in Gaza are still holding dozens of hostages in the harshest conditions, and it is unclear how many are still alive.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Networks

FDD Background and Analysis

“Hamas Reportedly Willing to Release All Israeli Hostages in Single Exchange Once Second Phase of Ceasefire Begins,” FDD Flash Brief

“‘Hamas Executed a Mother and Her Two Children in Cold Blood’: Bibas Family Bodies Reportedly Included in Upcoming Hostage Release,” FDD Flash Brief

“Three Israeli Hostages Released After Nearly 500 Days in Hamas Captivity,” FDD Flash Brief