Israel has received the bodies of four hostages taken after the attack on October 7, 2023. In the town of Kissufim, dozens of people waved flags under a gray sky, marking the starting point of a long procession that accompanied the remains returned from Gaza by Hamas. The somber atmosphere was palpable as the nation came to terms with the loss of its citizens.
Shortly before, several armed and masked men delivered black coffins near Jan Yunis, in the south of the Gaza Strip. The coffins were said to contain the bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, of Argentine origin, as well as an octogenarian, Oded Lifshitz. This marked the first installment of hostage corpses returned by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas since its attack on October 7, 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza.
The four coffins arrived at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv, where an autopsy was planned to confirm the identities of the bodies. The delivery of the remains took place amidst a fragile ceasefire, initiated on January 19, and followed several hostage exchanges for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Around 100 people gathered in Tel Aviv’s “Plaza de los Haranes,” a spot where protests are regularly held to demand the release of hostages.
For many, this was a difficult day, filled with emotions and reflections on what could have been done to prevent the tragedy. Tania Coen Uzzielli, a 59-year-old museum Rolled, expressed the feelings of guilt and helplessness that many shared. “I think that each and every one of us charges with a feeling of guilt, that perhaps we could have done more, that perhaps we did not do enough to prevent this tragedy,” she said.
Large screens in the plaza displayed images of the Bibas family and Oded Lifshitz, while some people held orange balloons symbolizing the red hair of the two children. Although Hamas announced the death of Shiri Bibas and her children, Ariel and Kfir, in November 2023, Israel never confirmed it. The lack of confirmation did little to alleviate the pain, as Sharon Gazit, a 60-year-old Tel Aviv resident, poignantly put it, “There are no other words, I have a broken heart.”
## “There are no words”
The coffins arrived at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute, where hundreds of people gathered near Israeli flags to pay their respects. The Hostage Families Forum confirmed that Oded Lifshitz’s body was among those returned. The identity of the corpses would be confirmed after the identification process, a standard procedure in Israel for cases involving the death of hostages or soldiers.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog described the return of the dead hostages as a national drama. “Agony. Suffering. There are no words,” he wrote. “The hearts of the whole nation are shattered.” He apologized on behalf of the state of Israel for not protecting them and for not bringing them home alive.
Since the ceasefire began, as part of a negotiated agreement facilitated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, 19 Israeli hostages were released in exchange for over 1,100 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas expressed willingness to release all remaining hostages held in the Gaza Strip at once, rather than in stages, during the second phase of the truce, which is set to start on March 2. This development brings a glimmer of hope amidst the pervasive sadness, a reminder that even in the darkest times, there is always a chance for peace and reconciliation.