Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a body that Hamas militants released during the handover of remains of Israeli hostages is that of a woman from Gaza instead of that of Shiri Bibas, the mother of two young boys whose bodies were returned on Thursday.
In a statement released Friday, Netanyahu criticized the handover of the wrong remains as a “cruel and malicious violation” of the ceasefire agreement, which has halted fighting in the Gaza Strip, and said Hamas would “pay the full price” for the action.
Hamas militants turned over four bodies on Thursday under the tenuous ceasefire, which has paused over 15 months of war. Israeli confirmed one body was that of Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was abducted during the Hamas attack on Israel that started the war on Oct. 7, 2023.
The remains of Shiri Bibas’ two young sons, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, were positively identified, the Israeli Defense Forces said, but added the fourth body was not that of their mother, nor of any other hostage.
“We will work with determination to bring Shiri home together with all our hostages — both living and dead — and ensure that Hamas pays the full price for this cruel and malicious violation of the agreement,” Netanyahu said.
“The sacred memory of Oded Lifshitz and Ariel and Kfir Bibas will be forever enshrined in the heart of the nation. May God avenge their blood. And so we will avenge,” he added.
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Israeli defense minister orders troops to ramp up operation in West Bank after explosions
JERUSALEM — Israel’s defense minister said Friday he has ordered the country’s military to ramp up its operation in the Israeli-occupied West Bank after a series of bus explosions near Tel Aviv the previous day.
Defense Minister Israel Katz called the explosions on three buses in central Israel a “terror attack.” No injuries were reported.
Visiting Tulkarem refugee camp, a militant stronghold, Katz said he had told troops to “intensify its activities” until “terrorism is defeated.”
“I want to convey a clear message from here to the terrorists and their senders: Yesterday’s serious attempted attack against a civilian population will not deter us,” he said.
On Friday, an Israeli court imposed a gag order on the reporting of any details related to the investigation or information that could reveal the identities of the suspects in Thursday’s bus bombings.
A group identifying itself as a branch of Hamas’ military wing, Qassam Brigades, from the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, stopped short of taking responsibility for the attack Thursday but posted on messaging app Telegram: “We will never forget to take vengeance for our martyrs as long as the occupation is on our lands.”
Israel’s largescale operation in the West Bank, which it launched directly after the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, has wreaked widespread damage, killed over 50 Palestinians, caused thousands to flee their homes and ripped up roads and infrastructure in refugee camps.
Under the ceasefire deal’s first phase, Israel is releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 33 hostages held by militants in Gaza. Katz Friday warned prisoners released under the terms of the deal: “We are keeping an open eye on you and any involvement by any of you in carrying out or directing terrorism will immediately cost you the heaviest price.”
Hamas says it has no interest in withholding any bodies
CAIRO — Hamas says it will “conduct a thorough review” of Israeli claims that a body it handed over Thursday as part of a ceasefire deal was not that of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas.
The group insisted it has adhered to all terms of the deal and “has no interest in withholding any bodies in its possession.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed revenge for what he described as a “cruel and malicious violation” of the ceasefire agreement after forensic tests showed one of four bodies handed over as part of the ceasefire was of an unidentified Palestinian woman instead of Bibas. The other three remains were identified as those of Bibas’ two young sons, and of Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was abducted.
“We have demonstrated full compliance with the agreement in recent days and remain committed to all its terms,” Hamas said.
Hamas suggested that a possible mix-up of remains may have occurred due to Israeli bombardment of the location where Bibas and her sons Kfir and Ariel were being held and where Palestinians were present. The militants have long maintained the mother and her children were killed in Israeli bombing.
“We reject Netanyahu’s threats, which serve only to manipulate Israeli public opinion,” Hamas said, calling on mediators to ensure the continued implementation of the ceasefire. The group also called for the return of the unidentified remains, which Israel has said is that of a Palestinian woman.
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