JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Friday (Feb 21) Israel would make Hamas pay for failing to launch the physique of hostage Shiri Bibas as agreed.
“We’ll act with willpower to carry Shiri house together with all our hostages – each residing and useless – and guarantee Hamas pays the complete worth for this merciless and evil violation of the settlement,” he stated in a video assertion.
Netanyahu accused Hamas of performing “in an unspeakably cynical method” by putting the physique of a Gaza girl within the coffin as a substitute of Shiri, who was kidnapped alongside along with her two sons and her husband, Yarden, through the Hamas assault on Israel on Oct 7, 2023.
The Israeli army stated on Friday that one of many our bodies launched by Hamas didn’t belong to any of the hostages held in Gaza, accusing Hamas of violating an already shaking ceasefire.
Two of the our bodies have been recognized as toddler Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel, whereas a 3rd physique that was imagined to be their mom, Shiri, was discovered to not match with any hostage and remained unidentified, the army stated.
“This can be a violation of utmost severity by the Hamas terrorist organisation, which is obliged underneath the settlement to return 4 deceased hostages,” the army stated, in a press release, demanding the return of Shiri and all hostages.
The household of hostage Oded Lifshitz, stated in a press release that his physique had been formally recognized.
There was no rapid response from Hamas.
Netanyahu earlier vowed revenge on Hamas after the group launched the stays of what it stated have been 4 hostages, together with that of Kfir and Ariel, the youngest of these kidnapped through the Oct 7, 2023, assault.
Palestinian militants handed over four black coffins in a fastidiously orchestrated public show as a crowd of Palestinians and dozens of armed Hamas militants watched, making a spectacle which was condemned by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The purported stays of the boys, their mom and Lifshitz have been handed over underneath the Gaza ceasefire agreement reached last month with the backing of america and the mediation of Qatar and Egypt.
