Hamas handed over a body it claimed belonged to Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas late at night on Friday (Feb 21) after a misidentification nearly disrupted the fragile Gaza ceasefire agreement. The Red Cross says it has given the remains to Israel and medical authorities are now conducting forensic tests to confirm the identity.

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As per Israel's army radio report, the body was identified overnight by forensic specialists as Shiri Bibas.

The Palestinian militant group had agreed to hand over the bodies of Shiri Bibas, her two sons, Kfir and Ariel, and another hostage, Oded Lifshitz, under the ongoing ceasefire deal. While the identity of the bodies of the Bibas boys and Lifshitz was confirmed, the fourth body was found to be an unidentified Gazan woman, not Shiri Bibas.

Also read: 'Evil violation of truce': Amid outrage, Hamas says Shiri Bibas's remains 'mixed in rubble' of Israeli strike

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Hamas admits ‘mistake’ in handover

Hamas official Basem Naim accepted the error, blaming the ongoing war for making proper identification difficult.

"Unfortunate mistakes can happen, especially with Israeli bombing mixing the bodies of hostages and Palestinians, thousands of whom remain buried in the rubble," he said. He added that Hamas had no interest in withholding bodies or violating agreements.

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Also read: Hamas murdered youngest hostages Ariel and Kfir Bibas, says Israel, mother's body missing

Netanyahu condemns Hamas for ‘cruel violation’

The failure to hand over the correct body and the public display of four coffins by Hamas on Thursday sparked a backlash in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation.

“We will act with determination to bring Shiri home along with all our hostages, both living and dead, and ensure Hamas pays the full price for this cruel and evil violation of the agreement,” he said in a video statement.

Also read: ‘Death cult’: Netanyahu vows vengeance against Hamas after it ‘parades dead bodies’ of Israeli hostages

Netanyahu also denounced the group for its actions saying, “Who kidnaps a little boy and a baby and murders them? Monsters. That’s who. I vow that I will not rest until the savages who executed our hostages are brought to justice.”

Dispute over how Bibas family died

Hamas has claimed since November 2023 that Shiri Bibas and her two children were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Hamas-run Gaza government media director Ismail Al-Thawabta placed full blame on Netanyahu. However, the Israeli military disputes this, saying intelligence and forensic analysis suggest the Bibas children were deliberately killed by their captors.

Also read: 'Our hearts lie in tatters': Israel mourns after receiving bodies of dead Gaza hostages

Despite tensions over the botched body transfer, Hamas is set to release six living hostages on Saturday in exchange for 602 Palestinian prisoners. Negotiations for the next phase of the ceasefire are expected to begin in the coming days.

“Hamas must return the hostages as agreed in the ceasefire, the living and the deceased. They have to bring Shiri back, and they have to release the six living hostages expected tomorrow,” Israeli military spokesperson Nadav Shoshani said on X.

(With inputs from agencies)