Hamas hands over bodies of four Israeli hostages, said to include Bibas children and their mother

Hamas on Thursday handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages held in Gaza — the first time the group has released deceased captives since October 7, 2023.

They are said to include the bodies of Shiri Bibas, who was aged 32 when she and her sons Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 9 months, were abducted from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, southern Israel by Hamas-led militants more than 16 months ago.

The two boys have become the most recognizable victims of the October 7 terror attacks, and the first return of hostage bodies marks a hugely emotional and somber moment for Israel.

The fourth body is said to be that of Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 years old when he and his wife, Yocheved Lifshitz, were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Yocheved was released by Hamas on October 24, 2023.

Ahead of the handover, Hamas militants placed four black caskets on a stage in the southern city of Khan Younis, behind which was a propaganda backdrop with slogans in Arabic, Hebrew and English.