Israel heartbroken as it prepares to receive body of youngest hostage

On February 20, Hamas will return the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including a 9-month-old baby, his 4-year-old brother and mother.

"Tomorrow will be a very difficult day for the state of Israel, a heartbreaking day. We are bringing back four of our beloved hostages, fallen heroes," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced on February 19.

The bodies of the four hostages expected to be returned include Mr. Oded Lifshitz and his three children, Shiri Bibas, Ariel Bibas and Kfir Bibas.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) captured Mr. Lifshitz in an attack in October 2023, when he was 83. His wife, Yocheved, was arrested separately and released by Hamas 16 days after the attack, according to The Times of Israel .

Shiri Bibas’s husband, Yarden Bibas, was arrested while trying to distract the gunmen to save his wife and children. He was released on February 1. Meanwhile, Shiri Bibas and her two children were captured and taken to Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip in the early days.

Mr. Yarden Bibas (middle) was released on February 1.

In November 2023, Hamas announced that the mother and her three children were killed in an Israeli airstrike, but Tel Aviv did not confirm this information. When she was arrested, Shiri was 32 years old while her two sons were only 4 years old and 9 months old.

The Bibas family said on February 19 that they did not agree to the release of the identities of the mother and her three children. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office later criticized the military for the mistake, and the military apologized.

Image of Shiri Bibas and her two children being taken to the Gaza Strip

After the February 20 handover, Hamas will continue to release the remaining six hostages on February 22. This force has signaled its readiness to release all hostages in the Gaza Strip in a single batch in phase 2 of the ceasefire agreement.

Phase 1 began on January 19 and will end in early March. So far, 19 Israeli hostages have been released in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinian prisoners. Six more hostages will be released alive by the end of the week. Next week, Hamas will return four more bodies.

After phase 1 ended, 58 hostages were still held in the Gaza Strip. Phase 2 negotiations are said to begin this week.

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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/israel-dau-long-khi-chuan-bi-nhan-thi-the-con-tin-nho-tuoi-nhat-185250220094551135.htm