The remains of the youngest and one of the oldest captives seized by militant group Hamas during the attack that ignited the war in the Gaza Strip are expected to be handed over on Thursday.
In an emotional message, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday expressed grief ahead of receiving the dead hostages, saying he is determined to make sure such a thing never happens again.
On Wednesday, through a post on X, Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Tomorrow will be a very hard day for the State of Israel. A tumultuous day, a day of mourning. We are bringing home four of our beloved hostages, fallen.”
He also said his and the entire country’s heart is “torn” and goes to call Hamas “monsters”. “We are embracing the families, and the heart of an entire nation is torn. My heart is torn. So is yours. And the heart of the entire world must be torn, because here we see who we are dealing with, what we are dealing with, with what kind of monsters. We are grieving, we are hurting, but we are also determined to ensure that such a thing never happens again,” he wrote in the post, which was accompanied by a video message.
Who are the four hostages
A senior Hamas official announced earlier this week that they will release bodies of four Israeli hostages on Thursday and six living hostages on Saturday, as part of the ongoing ceasefire deal in Gaza.
The bodies of the youngest and oldest hostages are expected to be released by Hamas on Thursday, said an Israeli official on the condition of anonymity in line with regulations, reported Associated Press (AP). This will include the bodies of the Bibas family – a mother and her two children. Shiri Bibas, and her two children Ariel and Kfir Bibas will be released on Thursday, said the Israeli official as the first confirmation from the country.
While Ariel was 4 years old, Kfir was just 9 months old when they were taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023. The latter was the youngest Israeli hostage in Hamas’ captivity. The fourth hostage expected to be released was Oded Lifshitz, a retired journalist who was 83 when he was held captive.
The Bibas family had become the symbol of the plight of Israeli hostages in Hamas’ captivity. Their fate was mostly unknown throughout the Gaza war. However, Hamas had confirmed that the family died during an Israeli strike.
The Gaza ceasefire began in January to put an end to the 15-month-long war in Gaza. The three-phased ceasefire plan is currently in its first stage, which majorly includes the exchange of hostages and prisoners between Israel and Hamas.
(With inputs from AP)
