Coffins containing the bodies of Israeli hostages returned to Israel by Hamas on Thursday also featured a sick message from the terror group — the slain victims’ “date of arrest.”
The gut-wrenching exchange saw the return of the bodies of Kfir Bibas, who was just 9 months old when he was taken, as well as his brother, Ariel, who was only 4; their mother, Shiri, 33; and Oded Lifshitz, 84.
Caskets for the Bibas family and Lifshitz were labeled with a picture of each hostage, but Kfir and Ariel Bibas’ remains were in the wrong coffins — with Hamas switching their names, the Times of Israel reported.
The coffins of the two adults also featured a sign that indicated their “date of arrest” — Oct. 7, 2023 — the date they were violently abducted from their homes by Hamas terrorists.
The four coffins containing the victims were displayed on stage in front of a disturbing mural depicting a bloody Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with fangs standing over pictures of the Bibas family and Lifshiftz, alongside a propagandist inscription.
The bodies were returned Thursday morning in a ceremony featuring large propaganda posters and a celebratory atmosphere — a far cry from the dignified handover that the International Committee of the Red Cross had asked Hamas to hold.
Placed next to the coffins were two missiles with English text reading, “They were killed by USA bombs.”
Following Thursday’s release, Hamas is set to free six living hostages on Saturday, as opposed to the agreed-upon three following negotiations for quicker aid to Gaza.
If Saturday’s exchange goes as scheduled, Hamas would then release four more bodies next week to fulfill the first phase of the cease-fire deal, which called for 33 hostages to be freed.
Phase one of the cease-fire ends on March 2, with the second and third phases focused on freeing the remaining 59 hostages and establishing a permanent end to the war.
