Shiri Bibas, whose remains were released by Hamas on Friday, has been positively identified by Israeli officials on early Saturday.
Just two days prior, Hamas had released the bodies of Bibas’ two young sons, Kfir and Ariel, who were tragically killed after being abducted to Gaza on October 7, 2023. Hamas initially released a body claiming it to be Shiri Bibas, but Israeli forensic analysis proved it to be another woman. Hamas acknowledged the mistake and released the correct remains.
As part of the ongoing ceasefire deal, Israel welcomed the release of six living hostages on Saturday, marking the last of the hostages to be freed. The six men released are:
- Hisham Al-Sayed: A Bedouin Arab with developmental disabilities who had entered Gaza in 2015. He was released to the Red Cross in Gaza City.
- Eliyah Cohen: One of the survivors from the Nova festival tragedy. His mother shared reports of his mistreatment while in captivity.
- Avera Mengistu: An Ethiopian-Israeli who entered Gaza in 2014.
- Omer Shem Tov: Taken from the Nova music festival and seen alive by previously released hostages.
- Tal Shoham: Taken hostage along with his family members, with some tragically losing their lives on October 7.
- Omer Wenkert: Abducted from the Nova music festival and seen in Hamas videos on that day.
Israel has agreed to release hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners in exchange for the hostages.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Hamas is expected to release the remains of four other hostages in the upcoming week. The future of the ceasefire agreement remains uncertain.
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