Family confirms body handed over by militants overnight was Israeli mother Shiri Bibas
JERUSALEM (AP) — A body released by Palestinian militants overnight was confirmed to be Shiri Bibas, the Israeli mother whose two young sons also died in captivity, her family said.
Hamas had said Bibas’ remains were returned to Israel with those of her sons and another hostage Thursday. Testing confirmed the identities of the three others but found the remains said to be Shiri Bibas were instead an unidentified Palestinian woman.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of a “cruel and malicious violation” of the ceasefire and vowed revenge.
With tensions rising, Palestinian militants late Friday said they turned over the correct set of remains to the Red Cross, which sent them to Israel for testing. The identification was confirmed early Saturday.
Despite the anger, Israel and Hamas were moving ahead with another exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners Saturday as part of the ceasefire.