Israel Receives 4 Hostage Bodies, Frees 600 Prisoners as Bibas Relative Vows Hamas 'Will Not Defeat Us'

JERUSALEM, Israel – Hamas returned four more hostage bodies and Israel released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners following a day of mourning as Israel buried the bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two little boys – the youngest hostages murdered and held by Hamas for more than 500 days.

In the very early Thursday morning hours, without any fanfare, Hamas handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages to the Red Cross, who passed them over to the Israeli police and the Israel Defense Forces.

The bodies of Tsachi Idan from Kibbutz Nahal Oz, Itzhak Elgarat and Ohad Yahalomi, both from Kibbutz Nir Oz, and 85-year-old Shlomo Mantzur from Kibbutz Kissufim were identified by morning.

President Isaac Herzog posted on X, "In this painful moment, there is some solace in knowing that they will be laid to rest in dignity in Israel."

Israel freed more than 600 Palestinian prisoners, including 71 who were serving life sentences and 60 with long prison sentences. Residents in Gaza and the West Bank received their relatives and friends, also in the middle of the night.

The exchanges followed a day of mourning in Israel. More than 100,000 people lined the roads as the funeral procession of Shiri Bibas and her two boys, Ariel and Kfir, passed by. 

Video of the little red-headed boys wrapped in their frightened mother's arms became the symbol of the treachery and cruelty that Hamas perpetrated on October 7th, 2023.

For more than a year, Israel waited and hoped for the family to return alive. Shiri's husband Yarden, who was also taken captive from Kibbutz Nir Oz, was released on February 1, only to receive the bodies of his wife and children three weeks later.

At the funeral, Yarden expressed his love for his wife, calling her his best friend.

He recalled, "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 (my weapon).”

Bibas also spoke to four-year-old Ariel.

"I hope you're enjoying paradise. I'm sure you're making all the angels laugh with your silly jokes and impressions. I hope there are plenty of butterflies for you to watch, just like you did during our picnics," he said.

And speaking to nine-month-old Kfir, he declared, "I need you to know that I love you a lot and miss you a lot! I miss nibbling on you and hearing your laughter."

Shiri's sister, Dana Silberman Sitton, who also lost her parents that day, asked Shiri for forgiveness.

"I promise you, as I promised Mom and Dad, that the monsters beyond the fence will not succeed in their mission," she pledged. "They will not defeat us, they will not break us. On the contrary, their mission failed because we united, because we grew stronger, because we became invincible. They lost."

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The overnight releases complete the first phase of exchanges of about 1,800 Palestinian prisoners for 33 hostages, leaving 59 hostages in Hamas captivity. It's believed approximately 20 of the 59 are still alive.

However, President Donald Trump's Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, who has postponed his arrival in the region, says he believes he can get an extension of Phase One and the release of more hostages.