Tel Aviv: Israel has blamed Hamas for murdering siblings Ariel and Kfir Bibas 'with their bare hands' after the terrorist group handed over their bodies.

Statement Of IDF Spokesperson

“We can confirm that baby Kfir Bibas, just 10 months old, and his older brother Ariel, aged four, were both brutally murdered by terrorists while being held hostage in Gaza no later than November 2023. These two innocent children were taken hostage alive, along with their mother, Shiri, from their home on 7 October 2023,” IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said.

‘‘After killing them in cold blood, they committed horrific acts to cover up these atrocities', Hagari added, as the Israeli military carried out forensic checks on their remains.

About The Case

Ariel and Kfir were taken by Hamas alongside their mother Shiri and father Yarden during the October 7, 2023 attacks. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said it is 'shaken' by the army's revelation that Palestinian terrorists murdered the two Bibas boys with their 'bare hands.' Hamas insist that the Bibas boys and their mother, Shiri, were killed by an Israeli airstrike. However, Hadari says those claims are lies. This assessment is based on forensic findings and intelligence that supports these conclusions.

‘‘We have shared this intelligence and the forensic findings with our partners around the world so they can verify it,’’ he added.

Shiri Bibas, who was meant to be returned with her children to Israel as part of the agreement, was not returned by Hamas. The body that Hamas falsely claimed was Shiri’s was not hers, nor was it that of any other hostage.

‘‘Instead, Hamas sent over the body of an unidentified woman. This is yet more evidence of Hamas’s barbaric cruelty,” Hagari said.