Hamas begins release of six Israeli hostages including 2 held for a decade
Hamas on Saturday began to release all six remaining live Israeli hostages promised under the first stage of the ongoing cease-fire deal — as one heartbroken family finally received the remains of a mother murdered in terrorist captivity.The two newly freed hostages — Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu — were received by members of the International Committee to the Red Cross at the handover site in Rafah in southern Gaza.The remaining four hostages — Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert and Hisham Al-Sayed — are expected to be released at a different location in the Gaza Strip later on Saturday.
The exchanges followed the horrific discovery that Hamas terrorists handed over the remains of a Gazan woman instead of Shiri Bibas, an Israeli mother whose body was supposed to be returned to Israel along with those of her two young sons.The 32-year-old mom was kidnapped during the Oct.7 attack, along with her boys, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, who at just 9 months was the youngest taken during the massacre.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Hamas will pay “the full price for this cruel and evil violation of the agreement.” Hamas officials called it an “unfortunate mistake” and said they were investigating it, according to reports.Israeli authorities confirmed Friday that Shiri Bibas’ body had been returned.Autopsy results showed that terrorists murdered the boys “in cold blood” with their bare hands, the Israeli Defense Forces said Friday.
Hamas had previously claimed they were killed in an air strike.The Bibases became symbols of Hamas’ savagery after video of the family being mercilessly ripped from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz ricocheted across the world.The terrorists put on a sick, macabre parade Thursday as they turned over the corpses thought to be hers and her sons’ as well as 84-year-old Oded Lifshitz.Bibas’ husband, Yarden, was kidnapped separately and released alive on Feb.
1. Among those released Saturday were a pair...