Human remains returned to Israel by Hamas on Friday have been identified as those of Shiri Bibas, a former hostage, according to her family in a statement shared by the Hostage Relatives’ Forum on Saturday.
Bibas’ remains were initially thought to be part of a group of four hostages returned by Hamas on Thursday, alongside her sons Kfir and Ariel and another captive, Oded Lifshitz. At the time, the two boys, aged 9 months and 4 years when they were taken, were identified, as well as Lifshitz. However, the fourth body did not match that of Shiri Bibas, nor any other Israeli hostage, causing outrage and concern.
Now, her body has been confirmed and returned to Israel, as stated by the forum.
In a statement, the family expressed their sorrow: “Last night, our Shiri was brought home. After the identification process at the Institute for Forensic Medicine, we received the news this morning that we had feared: our Shiri was murdered in captivity.” The family expressed their gratitude for her return, stating she would now “rest” alongside her family in Israel.
Shiri’s husband, Yarden Bibas, was released by Hamas earlier this month after spending 484 days in captivity.
Opposition party leader Yair Lapid expressed condolences for the Bibas family, calling the return of her remains “a long and painful closing of a circle.”
The Kibbutz Nir Oz community, where Bibas and her family were taken during the October 7 Hamas attack, also mourned her death. “Today, after 16 unbearably difficult months, the painful circle is finally closed for the family, and in the coming days, she will return, together with her two young sons, to eternal rest in the land of Israel,” their statement said.
Earlier on Friday, the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed it had received a coffin containing human remains from Hamas, which were then transferred to Israeli authorities. Hamas claimed that Shiri and her sons were killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2023, and that her remains might have been mistakenly mixed up with another body from the same strike. Israel has rejected this explanation, with military spokesperson Daniel Hagari stating that evidence suggests the two boys were murdered by militants. Hamas has dismissed this as “sheer lies.”