Israeli Hostages Returned After 500 Days, Hamas Displays Bodies in Controversial Ceremony

The bodies of Kfir Bibas, Ariel Bibas, and Oded Lifshitz were returned to Israel after being held hostage for over 500 days. Hamas, however, did not send the body of Shiri Bibas. Instead, they handed Israel an unidentified body. The DNA of the body in the coffin does not match any other known hostage.

In a display of brutality, coffins containing the remains of the three murdered Israeli hostages were put on display in a ceremony that has been nearly universally condemned. Hamas set out four coffins on a stage in front of a grotesque caricature of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The United Nations condemned the ceremony, saying that 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.

However, many people pointed out the U.N.'s reluctance to condemn the terror organization by name.

"Hamas parading four coffins onstage to music is evil and depraved," Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

On Oct. 7, 2023, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, put out a statement that appeared to equate Hamas' attacks with Israel's response. He said he was "shocked and appalled" by the violent attacks and condemned Israel's response.

Director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and President and Human Rights Voice Anne Bayefsky accused Türk of being "one of the leading drivers of Palestinian terrorism and global antisemitism in the world today."

United Nations watchdog organization UN Watch called for Türk's resignation in its December 2024 report showing that the human rights commissioner condemned the U.S. more than China, North Korea, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar combined. The organization also accused Türk of focusing on the Jewish state.

After the Oct. 7 attacks, Shiri Bibas and her sons, Kfir and Ariel, became symbols of Hamas' brutality. The image of a terrified mother holding her 4-year-old and 9-month-old quickly spread around the world. Yarden Bibas, Shiri's husband and the father of Kfir and Ariel, was taken captive separately and was ultimately released from Gaza on Feb. 1.

In addition to the bodies of the Bibas boys and Lifshitz, Israel is preparing to receive six living hostages on Saturday as part of its ongoing ceasefire deal with Hamas.