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Hamas had claimed to have returned the bodies of four hostages, including Bibas and her children — Ariel (age 4) and Cfer (9 months), as well as 84-year-old Odell Lifshitz. Forensic analysis confirmed three of the bodies as Bibas’s children and Lifshitz, but the fourth remained unidentified. Israeli authorities stated the body was not Bibas’s and noted Hamas’s deception, which they described as cruel and cynical.
Hamas’s Denial and Possible Causes
Hamas suggested that the mix-up might have resulted from Israeli bombings in the area where the hostages were held, claiming that the four hostages may have been killed in Israeli airstrikes. However, forensic evidence indicates Lifshitz and the children were executed in November 2023, roughly a month after their abduction, by Hamas captors.