Funeral held for Shiri Bibas and her sons after their remains handed over by Hamas

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Israel confirms return, identification of Shiri Bibas’ body

Fox News senior foreign affairs correspondent Greg Palkot reports on the release of six hostage from Hamas captivity as part of the first phase in the ceasefire deal and the return of the body of young mother Shiri Bibas.

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A funeral procession for a mother and her two young sons was held Wednesday morning in Rishon LeZion, Israel, after their remains were turned over by Hamas last week.

The remains of Shiri Bibas and her sons Ariel and Kfir were handed over to Israeli authorities late last week as part of an ongoing hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas. 

The funeral will be held near the family’s home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, at a private ceremony in Zohar, The Times of Israel reported. It will be closed to the public.

REMAINS OF SHIRI BIBAS POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED AFTER EVENTUALLY BEING HANDED OVER BY HAMAS

Shiri Bibas and her children. (Courtesy: Hostages Families Forum)

The family published the route of the funeral procession and urged the public to show support as the remains are transported.

The mother and her sons were buried together in one casket, the Times of Israel reported. “They will remain together and close, just as Shiri enveloped the children, always, including on that accursed day,” the funeral’s MC, Carmit Palty Katzir, said, according to the outlet.

Widower Yarden Bibas declared his love for Shiri, apologizing for being unable to protect the family.

“Shiri, I love you and will always love you! Shiri, you are everything to me! You are the best wife and mother there could be. Shiri, you are my best friend,” he declared, according to the outlet. 

“Do you remember our last decision together? In the safe room, I asked if we should ‘fight or surrender’. You said fight, so I fought. Shiri, I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you all. If only I had known what would happen, I wouldn’t have fired,” he reportedly said. 

REMAINS OF SHIRI BIBAS, MOM OF TWO KILLED, ALLEGEDLY RETURNED TO ISRAEL FOLLOWING HAMAS’ BROKEN PROMISE

Mourners gather around the car carrying the coffins of slain hostages Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, during their funeral procession in Rishon LeZion, Israel, on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

On Friday, Hamas handed over a coffin carrying Shiri Bibas’ remains to the Red Cross, which turned the coffin over to Israeli authorities. She was positively identified on Saturday morning.

Hamas had initially handed over a Palestinian woman from Gaza on Thursday. 

The terror group said it had “no interest in withholding any bodies in its possession.” It said the dead hostages handed over on Thursday had been killed by an Israeli airstrike in November 2023 and that the bodies could have been misidentified due to bombardments in the area.

“The whole nation stands with the Bibas family in silent grief as Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir are laid to rest,” a post on Israel’s official X account declared. (x.com/Israel)

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Before the handover of Shiri Bibas’ remains, Israeli authorities positively identified the remains of her two sons along with another hostage, Oded Lifshitz.

“The whole nation stands with the Bibas family in silent grief as Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir are laid to rest. May their memory always be a blessing,” Israel declared in a Wednesday post on X.