Hamas has disclosed that it is aware of the claims over the body of Shiri Bibas and is looking into them “with complete seriousness.”
Two of the four bodies handed over on Thursday were identified by the Israeli military as infant Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel, while a third body that was supposed to be their mother, Shiri, was found not to match with any hostage and remained unidentified.
Israel claims that authorities at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute were able to definitively determine the body did not belong to Bibas, adding the body was dressed in clothing and was examined several times by the institute.
Israel claim the body’s DNA was tested against that of Shiri and all other female hostages still held by Hamas, and none of them matched.
The group said in a statement published on Telegram, “We also point out the possibility of an error or overlap regarding the bodies, which may have resulted from the occupation targeting and bombing the place where the family was with other Palestinians.”
Hamas said that it would inform the mediators of the results of the investigation, also calling for the return of the body that Israel claims belonged to a Palestinian woman.
The group added that it “will announce the results transparently.”
It also stressed that it has no interest in “keeping any bodies” of the captives.
Hamas official, Ismail al-Thawabteh claimed that Shiri’s body “was turned into pieces after apparently being mixed with other bodies under the rubble.”
Hamas has claimed for the past year that Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, were killed in an Israeli airstrike; Israel said overnight that they were murdered in captivity.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Hamas to “return” Israeli captive Shiri Bibas after Israel said a body handed over by the Palestinian group was not hers.
Guterres Says Hamas Handover Of Israeli Captives’ Bodies Violated International Law
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the “parading of bodies” of Israeli captives by Hamas during a hand-over ceremony on Thursday.
In a post to social media, Guterres said the public display of coffins violated international law.
“I condemn the parading of bodies and displaying of the coffins of the deceased Israeli hostages by Hamas on Thursday.
“Under international law, any handover of the remains of the deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families.”
Antonio Guterres
Also, the Red Cross told a news agency that it is “concerned and unsatisfied” by the way Hamas hostage release operations have taken place.
It said in a statement, “The ICRC does not participate in sorting, screening, or examining the deceased – this is the responsibility of the parties to the conflict”, while expressing concern that the releases had not been conducted privately and in a dignified manner.
Moreover, a Palestinian Analyst opined that the decision by Hamas to parade bodies of deceased Israeli captives during a handover on Thursday was a mistake by the group.
In a long post to social media, Muhammad Shehada, a Palestinian analyst, writer and visiting fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations, said that many had pointed out that Israel had returned hundreds of unidentified Palestinian bodies in “garbage bags” piled up in trucks.
“The selectivity, apathy, double standards, hypocrisy & complicity of the international community has always been one of the greatest weakening forces of Palestinian moderates.
“It provides an easy way out for Hamas from any tough conversation or accountability. They’d always effortlessly say ‘What did the world do when Israel did the same & way worse? Why were they silent?’ With that said, our principles should NEVER be contingent on the behaviour of our oppressor!”
Muhammad Shehada
He noted that pointing out the mistakes of a Palestinian faction does not delegitimize the Palestinian cause or lend credence to Israel’s “[and] it most definitely does NOT mean opposing, vilifying or sowing doubt about Palestinians’ legal right to resist their slow demise [and] dispossession, in accordance with international law.”
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