Hamas Hands Over Bodies of Four Israeli Hostages to Red Cross

Babatunji Wusu –

• Hamas handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages to the Red Cross in Gaza, marking the first such handover since the start of the Gaza war.
• The handover ceremony was accompanied by a staged display featuring coffins and a controversial backdrop of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu depicted as a bloodied vampire.
• Among the deceased were Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, who Hamas claims were killed in Israeli airstrikes.
• Israel plans to verify the identities of the deceased once the bodies are returned.

On Thursday, Hamas handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages to the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip. The handover took place at a staged event, where four black coffins were displayed on a stage. The scene was surrounded by cheering onlookers, including numerous masked militants in uniform. A backdrop portrayed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a bloodied vampire hovering over images of the deceased, accompanied by text accusing him of killing the hostages with rockets.

The deceased included Shiri Bibas, a mother, and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir. Hamas claims they were killed in Israeli airstrikes during the early stages of the war, but Israel plans to verify their identities once the bodies are returned. This marks the first time since the start of the Gaza war, and the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023, that the remains of Israeli victims have been handed over. Prior to this, the Israeli army had recovered several bodies of hostages from Gaza.

An Israeli TV presenter described the event as a “theatre of terror,” highlighting the stark and provocative nature of the ceremony.