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Jerusalem, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a statement following the completion of the examination of the remains of the hostages handed over by Hamas on 20 February. According to Newsru.co.il, experts from the Institute of Forensic Medicine confirmed that two children, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, were brutally murdered by terrorists back in November 2023.
The IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) press service noted that the examination had definitively refuted Hamas’ claims that the children had been killed by Israeli air strikes. According to intelligence and forensic evidence, the Bibas brothers were victims of premeditated murder.
The mystery of Shiri Bibas’ disappearance remains unsolved
Particularly outrageous was the fact that the body of Shiri Bibas, the children’s mother, was not found among the transferred remains. DNA analysis of a third body, handed over with the remains of the children, showed that it was a woman from Gaza, not an Israeli hostage. Shiri’s fate remains unknown.
“This is yet another example of the boundless cruelty of Hamas terrorists. Not only did they kill the children and fail to return their mother, but they also cynically handed over the remains of others, misleading everyone,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu’s statement: “Hamas will pay in full”
In his emotional address, the Israeli Prime Minister expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and promised that Hamas would be held accountable for its actions.
“Israel bows its head in memory of two toddlers, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, and Oded Lifshitz, one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz. All three were brutally murdered in Hamas captivity in the first weeks of the war. We will not stop until Shiri Bibas and all of our hostages are returned home, dead or alive. And we will ensure that Hamas pays the full price for these crimes,” Netanyahu stressed.
The reaction of Israeli society
The news of the Bibas brothers’ deaths caused shock and deep sadness in Israel. Thousands of people took to the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to honour the memory of the victims. Israeli media are actively discussing the humanitarian crisis and ethical aspects of the ongoing war.
At the same time, the Israeli government continues to exert diplomatic pressure on the international community, calling for condemnation of Hamas’s actions and support in hostage rescue operations.
