Hamas transfers apparent bodies of Bibas family & Oded Lifshitz to Israel amid horrifying spectacle

The coffins which Hamas claims contain the bodies of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, as well as Oded Lifshitz, were transferred from Gaza to Israel on Thursday morning.

The bodies will be checked and identified at Israel's Forensic Medical Institute before a final confirmation of their deaths is given.

Despite calls by the Red Cross and Israel pressuring the mediators to prevent another propaganda spectacle, Hamas ramped up its cynical messaging surrounding the “release ceremony” of the four coffins.

Israeli media outlets chose not to carry the broadcast of the ceremony according to the hostage families’ wishes.

Hamas is parading deceased Israeli hostages.

When you see these images, remember: this is who we’re fighting against, a genocidal terrorist organization who celebrates the death of innocent civilians and continues to hold them hostage as leverage for over 500 days.
Don’t let… pic.twitter.com/YPAGLmWaRP

— LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) February 20, 2025

Like in previous rounds of releases, the terror group cleared a square and erected a stage, this time, in the Bani Suheila district of Khan Younis.

The stage and the coffins themselves contained cynical messages accusing Israel and the U.S. of murdering the hostages, and threatening to kill the remaining hostages if Israel returned to war after the first stage of the ceasefire.

The coffins were draped with white cloth to cover the propaganda messages and loaded into vehicles by representatives of the Red Cross, after one of its team signed Hamas’ “release documents” on stage.

Israeli media reported that the Red Cross objected to taking part in an aspect of the ceremony, and Hamas temporarily threatened to halt the ceremony until the issue was resolved.

The Red Cross team tried to shield the coffins from the view of thousands of onlookers who gathered at the scene, including many women and children. The Red Cross convoy then took the coffins to an IDF outpost in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli troops conducted a short ceremony in honor of the hostages, draping the coffin in Israeli flags while the IDF Chief Rabbi, Brig.-Gen. Eyal Karim, recited Psalm 83 before the coffins were taken for final identification to the Forensic Medicine Institute at Abu Kabir, in Tel Aviv.

After the transfer of the coffins to an IDF unit in Gaza, the military stated that the coffins “underwent security scanning” to exclude the possibility of booby-traps.

The convoy of IDF vehicles, escorted by the Israel Police, carrying the coffins with four slain Israeli hostages continues to make its way to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in central Israel for identification. pic.twitter.com/2RBqu1ssgk

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) February 20, 2025

While Kan News reported that Hamas locked the coffins and provided false keys, the IDF later stated that it “checked that all locks on the coffins could be opened.... All the coffins are accessible for opening.”

President Isaac Herzog asked the hostage families for forgiveness in a statement on Thursday.

“This is a moment of suffering and pain. The heart of an entire nation is shattered into pieces. On behalf of the State of Israel, I bow my head and ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness for not fulfilling our duty. Forgiveness for not protecting you on that cursed day. Forgiveness for not bringing you home safely,” Herzog said.

“May their memory be a blessing,” the president added.

The Prime Minister’s Office stated that “The families of the hostages have been updated, and in this difficult time, our hearts are with them. The public is requested to respect the families' privacy and refrain from spreading rumors and unverified information.”

The Israel Police broadcast a live feed from the convoy carrying the hostage bodies to Tel Aviv, which showed thousands of Israelis lining the streets in honor of the slain hostages.

With today’s release, Hamas is currently holding 69 hostages in captivity in the Gaza Strip, 36 of whom have been declared dead by the IDF.