Netanyahu vows Hamas will ‘pay full price’ for failing to return Shiri Bibas

File Source: ABC

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday condemned Hamas for returning the body of an unidentified woman instead of that of Shiri Bibas, the mother of two young boys whose remains were confirmed late Thursday night.

Hours after Israeli authorities identified Oded Lifshitz and brothers Kfir and Ariel Bibas, Netanyahu accused Hamas of sending back a Gazan woman’s body in place of Shiri’s. He did not comment on her fate.

“The State of Israel bows its head in mourning for two small children, innocent babies, brothers—Ariel and Kfir Bibas—and for Oded Lifshitz, one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz,” Netanyahu said. “All three were brutally murdered in Hamas captivity during the first weeks of the war. The cruelty of Hamas monsters knows no bounds.”

Netanyahu denounced Hamas for what he called “unimaginable cynicism” in failing to return Shiri Bibas alongside her sons. “Instead, they placed the body of a Gazan woman in the coffin,” he said, promising to work “resolutely” to bring Shiri home, “along with all our hostages—both the living and the fallen.”

“The sacred memory of Oded Lifshitz and of Ariel and Kfir Bibas will be forever enshrined in the heart of the nation,” he added. “May God avenge their blood. And we will remember them.”

The Israeli military confirmed that the identification of Kfir and Ariel Bibas was swift and conclusive. “We can say with certainty that they were murdered in a brutal manner, a fact supported by intelligence,” the IDF stated. Officials stressed that Israel would ensure the world understands “the baby and the child were murdered based on solid intelligence, not just forensic examination. Jund al-Sham, an extremist Salafi group, held the Bibas family, and their murder took place in November 2023.”