The coffins of four Israeli hostages released by Hamas—including the two Bibas children—had to be scanned with metal detectors to ensure they were not rigged with explosives, adding a final sickening insult after they were publicly paraded through Gaza's streets.
Hamas handed over the bodies of Kfir Bibas, the youngest Israeli hostage who was just 9 months old when taken, his 4-year-old brother Ariel, their mother Shiri, 33, and 84-year-old journalist Oded Lifshitz. Israeli sources initially told Kan, the country's national broadcaster, that the coffins were sealed shut and no key was provided. Israel Defense Force officials later told The New York Post that this claim was wrong.
Israeli Mourns Death of Youngest Hostage
However, the IDF still needed to thoroughly inspect the caskets to confirm they were not rigged with explosives after they were received. "Prior to the military ceremony, the coffins were scanned for explosives," an IDF spokesperson told The Post.
The bodies were placed in new coffins, draped with Israeli flags, and transported by convoy to the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv. According to the Times of Israel, officials said that confirming the identities of the deceased could take up to 48 hours.
Prior to the handover, videos of the exchange showed the four coffins displayed on stage beneath a mural depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a vampire with blood dripping from his fangs. A photo of the Bibas family and Oded Lifshitz was shown submerged in a pool of blood.
Beside the coffins, two missiles were positioned with English text reading, "They were killed by USA bombs."
Masked men then lifted each coffin one by one and carried them through the crowds that had gathered in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis to witness the transfer before the coffins were placed into Red Cross vehicles.
Completely Inhuman
The UN human rights chief denounced Hamas' blatant public exhibition. "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," Austrian Volker Turk said in a statement.
Netanyahu spoke to the nation on Thursday following the return of the hostages' bodies, promising to " settle the score with the vile murderers."
"On this day, we are all united," said Netanyahu in a video message. "We are all united in unbearable grief."
"We will bring back all our hostages, destroy the murderers, eliminate Hamas, and together — with God's help — we will secure our future," he pledged.
The shocking handover is expected to further intensify tensions in the fragile cease-fire agreement Hamas brokered with Israel on January 19.
