The Israeli government has developed a plan for receiving the bodies of hostages Kfir Bibas, Ariel Bibas, Shiri Bibas, and Oded Lifshitz.
The bodies are expected to be handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross, which will transport them to Israeli forces inside the Gaza Strip. A short ceremony will be held with a rabbi, when the bodies will be placed in coffins draped in Israeli flags. The bodies of four hostages who were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz will be transported in military ambulances to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv for identification.
The Israeli government confirmed on Wednesday that it received the list of names of the hostages that will be returned.
Once the bodies are identified, families will receive final confirmation of their loved ones and can proceed with the burials. The causes of death are also expected to be investigated.
Dr. Chen Kugel, who will lead the identification process with a team of experts, said identifying the bodies of hostages who have been in Gaza for over 500 days may not be possible.
“We can use X-rays, weight data comparisons, dental records, and DNA analysis,” Kugel told The Jerusalem Post. “We will do everything possible, but for the slain hostages that have been held for an extended period, identification is not always feasible.”
The bodies will first have a CT scan, which will produce a detailed internal image, which specialists will examine and compare to any prior medical records. DNA samples will be sent for laboratory testing, and dental features will be compared to any existing records.
The entire process can reportedly take up to two days.
“Tomorrow’s upcoming phase is complex and sensitive, and we will make every effort to ensure that the slain hostages are brought to burial as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, head of the Medical Directorate at the Health Ministry.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum plans to not broadcast any propaganda spectacle during its gathering Thursday in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. Hamas has paraded living hostages on stages and dragged them through large crowds during handovers.
Israeli media outlets have also chosen to not broadcast any Hamas propaganda spectacle after speaking with officials and the families of hostages.
Under Jewish law, a body should be buried as quickly as possible, often the same day of death.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video message on Tuesday in Hebrew, in which he said Thursday will be a “very difficult day for the State of Israel.”
“A wrenching day, a day of grief,” Netanyahu said. “We are bringing home four of our beloved hostages, deceased. We embrace the families, and the heart of the entire nation is torn. My own heart is torn. So is yours. And all of the world’s heart should be torn, because this demonstrates who we are dealing with, what we are dealing with — with such monsters.”
He added that he is determined to ensure that “such a thing never happens again.”
“This news cuts like a knife through our hearts, the families’ hearts and the hearts of people all over the world,” The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement. “They weren’t just names — they were beloved people, with families who cherished them, with dreams and futures stolen from them.”
Both the Lifshitz and Bibas families released statements expressing sorrow, but stating they are waiting for final confirmation after the identification process.
“For 502 days we hoped and prayed for a different outcome,” the Lifshitz family said in a statement. “However, until we receive absolute certainty, our journey is not over, and even afterwards we will continue to fight until the last hostage is returned.”
The Bibas family asked for people to “refrain from eulogizing” their loved ones “until there is confirmation following final identification.”
Lifshitz, 84, was a journalist and peace activist who helped found Kibbutz Nir Oz. He was known for transporting sick Gazans to Israeli hospitals.
His wife, Yocheved Lifshitz, who was also taken hostage but released in the November 2023 deal, said her husband “fought for the Palestinians his whole life; they betrayed him and took him into hell.”
The news of the death of 32-year-old Shiri and her two young children has sparked international outrage. Kfir was nine months old when he was kidnapped and Ariel was 4. Footage of Shiri’s terrified face while holding the two redheaded boys went viral after October 7, making the family a symbol of the horror terrorists inflicted on Israeli civilians during the attack.
In November 2023, Hamas forced Shiri’s husband, Yarden Bibas, to record a video announcing the deaths of his wife and kids. Yarden, who was released earlier this month, has reportedly clung to hope that his family is alive.
Hamas also released the names of the final six living hostages set to be released from Gaza on Saturday. The list includes Israeli citizens Omer Shem Tov, 22, Omer Wenkert, 23, Eliya Cohen, 27, and Tal Shoham, 30, all of whom were captured by terrorists on October 7. Hisham Al-Sayed, 36, and Avraham (Avera) Mengisto, 39, who have both been hostages in Gaza for about a decade, will also be released.
So far, 19 of 33 hostages have been released during the first phase of the ceasefire, along with five Thai hostages who were released as part of a separate deal. Seventy-three hostages remain in captivity, all of but three of whom were abducted on October 7.
The fate of those not slated for the first phase has yet to be negotiated. According to the ceasefire agreement, negotiations for phase two were set to begin on February 3, the 16th day, but discussions have not yet commenced.
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[[{“value”:”
The Israeli government has developed a plan for receiving the bodies of hostages Kfir Bibas, Ariel Bibas, Shiri Bibas, and Oded Lifshitz.
The bodies are expected to be handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross, which will transport them to Israeli forces inside the Gaza Strip. A short ceremony will be held with a rabbi, when the bodies will be placed in coffins draped in Israeli flags. The bodies of four hostages who were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz will be transported in military ambulances to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv for identification.
The Israeli government confirmed on Wednesday that it received the list of names of the hostages that will be returned.
Once the bodies are identified, families will receive final confirmation of their loved ones and can proceed with the burials. The causes of death are also expected to be investigated.
Dr. Chen Kugel, who will lead the identification process with a team of experts, said identifying the bodies of hostages who have been in Gaza for over 500 days may not be possible.
“We can use X-rays, weight data comparisons, dental records, and DNA analysis,” Kugel told The Jerusalem Post. “We will do everything possible, but for the slain hostages that have been held for an extended period, identification is not always feasible.”
The bodies will first have a CT scan, which will produce a detailed internal image, which specialists will examine and compare to any prior medical records. DNA samples will be sent for laboratory testing, and dental features will be compared to any existing records.
The entire process can reportedly take up to two days.
“Tomorrow’s upcoming phase is complex and sensitive, and we will make every effort to ensure that the slain hostages are brought to burial as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, head of the Medical Directorate at the Health Ministry.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum plans to not broadcast any propaganda spectacle during its gathering Thursday in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. Hamas has paraded living hostages on stages and dragged them through large crowds during handovers.
Israeli media outlets have also chosen to not broadcast any Hamas propaganda spectacle after speaking with officials and the families of hostages.
Under Jewish law, a body should be buried as quickly as possible, often the same day of death.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video message on Tuesday in Hebrew, in which he said Thursday will be a “very difficult day for the State of Israel.”
“A wrenching day, a day of grief,” Netanyahu said. “We are bringing home four of our beloved hostages, deceased. We embrace the families, and the heart of the entire nation is torn. My own heart is torn. So is yours. And all of the world’s heart should be torn, because this demonstrates who we are dealing with, what we are dealing with — with such monsters.”
He added that he is determined to ensure that “such a thing never happens again.”
“This news cuts like a knife through our hearts, the families’ hearts and the hearts of people all over the world,” The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement. “They weren’t just names — they were beloved people, with families who cherished them, with dreams and futures stolen from them.”
Both the Lifshitz and Bibas families released statements expressing sorrow, but stating they are waiting for final confirmation after the identification process.
“For 502 days we hoped and prayed for a different outcome,” the Lifshitz family said in a statement. “However, until we receive absolute certainty, our journey is not over, and even afterwards we will continue to fight until the last hostage is returned.”
The Bibas family asked for people to “refrain from eulogizing” their loved ones “until there is confirmation following final identification.”
Lifshitz, 84, was a journalist and peace activist who helped found Kibbutz Nir Oz. He was known for transporting sick Gazans to Israeli hospitals.
His wife, Yocheved Lifshitz, who was also taken hostage but released in the November 2023 deal, said her husband “fought for the Palestinians his whole life; they betrayed him and took him into hell.”
The news of the death of 32-year-old Shiri and her two young children has sparked international outrage. Kfir was nine months old when he was kidnapped and Ariel was 4. Footage of Shiri’s terrified face while holding the two redheaded boys went viral after October 7, making the family a symbol of the horror terrorists inflicted on Israeli civilians during the attack.
In November 2023, Hamas forced Shiri’s husband, Yarden Bibas, to record a video announcing the deaths of his wife and kids. Yarden, who was released earlier this month, has reportedly clung to hope that his family is alive.
Hamas also released the names of the final six living hostages set to be released from Gaza on Saturday. The list includes Israeli citizens Omer Shem Tov, 22, Omer Wenkert, 23, Eliya Cohen, 27, and Tal Shoham, 30, all of whom were captured by terrorists on October 7. Hisham Al-Sayed, 36, and Avraham (Avera) Mengisto, 39, who have both been hostages in Gaza for about a decade, will also be released.
So far, 19 of 33 hostages have been released during the first phase of the ceasefire, along with five Thai hostages who were released as part of a separate deal. Seventy-three hostages remain in captivity, all of but three of whom were abducted on October 7.
The fate of those not slated for the first phase has yet to be negotiated. According to the ceasefire agreement, negotiations for phase two were set to begin on February 3, the 16th day, but discussions have not yet commenced.
“}]]
