In a tragic turn of events, Hamas handed over the bodies of Israeli infant Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel on Thursday. The two youngest captives taken during Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack have become powerful symbols of the trauma inflicted that day.
Red Cross vehicles transported four black coffins from the Gaza Strip, each adorned with a picture of the deceased hostages. The transfer site was heavily surrounded by armed Hamas militants in black and camouflage uniforms.
The United Nations human rights chief, Volker Turk, condemned the public display of the bodies, calling it “abhorrent and cruel” and a violation of international law. “Under international law, any handover of the remains of the deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families,” Turk said in a statement.
Upon receiving the bodies, Israeli forces scanned the coffins for explosives before transporting them into Israel. As the convoy carrying the remains crossed the Gaza border, Israelis lined the roads in the rain to pay their respects.
At the handover site, a militant stood next to a controversial poster depicting a man standing over Israeli-flag-draped coffins. His legs were replaced with tree roots, symbolizing Palestinian claims to the land. (Photo: @Fundji3/X)
“We stand here together, with a broken heart. The sky is also crying with us, and we pray to see better days,” Reuters quoted one of the mourners, identified as Efrat.
In Tel Aviv, crowds gathered at what has become known as Hostages Square, outside Israel’s defense headquarters, to grieve. Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed the nation’s sorrow, stating, “Agony. Pain. There are no words. Our hearts — the hearts of an entire nation — lie in tatters.”
Hamas’ Symbolic Message
At the handover site, a militant stood next to a controversial poster depicting a man standing over Israeli-flag-draped coffins. His legs were replaced with tree roots, symbolizing Palestinian claims to the land. The poster read, “The Return of the War = The Return of Your Prisoners in Coffins.”
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Kfir Bibas was only nine months old when his family was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of several Israeli communities attacked by Hamas-led militants on October 7. In November 2023, Hamas claimed that the two boys and their mother, Shiri Bibas, had been killed in an Israeli airstrike, but Israeli authorities never confirmed their deaths.
The Bibas family. (Photo: @JNS_org/X)
“Shiri and the kids became a symbol,” said Yiftach Cohen, a resident of Nir Oz, which lost about a quarter of its population during the attack—either killed or taken hostage.
The boys’ father, Yarden Bibas, was released earlier this month in a hostage exchange.
International Response and Political Fallout
The highly publicized hostage handovers orchestrated by Hamas have drawn increasing criticism, including from the United Nations, which denounced the “parading of hostages.” The Red Cross had urged Hamas to conduct a dignified handover, but concerns remain over the militant group’s tactics.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government continues to face scrutiny over its handling of the October 7 attack, the deadliest day in Israel’s history. Some of those killed were known peace activists, adding another layer of complexity to the ongoing conflict.
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Thursday’s return of bodies marks the first under the current agreement, with full DNA verification pending. The broader deal includes the release of six living hostages on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees—primarily women and minors—held by Israeli forces.
As negotiations continue, discussions for a second phase of the deal are expected to commence in the coming days. The next stage is anticipated to cover the return of around 60 remaining hostages, fewer than half of whom are believed to be alive. Additionally, talks will center around the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, which could potentially bring an end to the ongoing war.
