Four Deceased Hostages to be Returned Overnight Without Hamas ‘Ceremonies’

Photo Credit: Abed Rahim Khatib / Flash 90.

Palestinian children dressed in the Al-Qassam Brigades uniform and carrying weapons participate in a handover of Israeli hostages to the Red Cross, in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, Feb. 8, 2025

The bodies of four hostages murdered by terrorists during their captivity in Gaza are to be returned to Israel late Wednesday night, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed.

“Pursuant to Israel’s demands, agreement has been reached with the mediators: Four of our deceased hostages will be returned tonight in the framework of the first stage, in an agreed-upon procedure and without Hamas ceremonies,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Six living hostages were returned to Israel by Hamas on Saturday but were first paraded before hundreds of screaming terrorists and their supporters in Gaza in a humiliating “release ceremony” before finally being handed over to Red Cross personnel for transfer to Israel.

In response, Israel refrained from releasing 608 terrorists in exchange for the freed hostages, turning the buses around and sending the convicts back to their prison cells.

Three days earlier, Hamas held a similar, ghoulish ceremony that featured on a stage the coffins of 9-month-old Kfir Bibas, 4-year-old Ariel Bibas, 84-year-old Oded Lifshitz and the body of an unidentified Gazan woman who was presented instead of the children’s murdered mother, 33-year-old Shiri Bibas. One day later, the terrorists later admitted to their “error” and transferred the body of Shiri Bibas to Israeli security personnel.

Shiri and her two children were laid to rest in one coffin on Wednesday morning as her husband Yarden delivered a heartbreaking eulogy. Although the funeral itself was private, the procession that preceded it was attended by tens of thousands of Israelis who lined the streets to express their grief and solidarity with the Bibas family.

Murdered Hostages to be Returned at 11 pm
The bodies of the four murdered hostages, all male, are scheduled to be handed over to Egyptian officials at 11 pm, who will then make the transfer to Israel, sources said.

Although the names of the four hostages have been listed in the media for some time, government officials reiterated that the names of those being released would only be confirmed after the bodies have been identified in Israel.

Simultaneously, as the hostages are returned, Israel has agreed to release the 608 terrorists incarcerated in Israeli prisons who were held back on Saturday.

Three women and 60 men are still being held captive by the terrorists in Gaza, including five Americans.