Hamas has launched the our bodies of a girl, her two kids and an 83-year-old Israeli man who had been taken captive throughout the October 2023 assault.
The our bodies had been handed over to the ICRC in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Thursday. 4 males carried the 4 coffins from the stage to the Purple Cross autos separately.
A big poster performing because the backdrop on the stage confirmed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with fangs and blood on his face, dripping onto the photographs of the 4 Israelis whose our bodies had been launched.
A spokesperson for the Palestinian group mentioned all 4 had been alive earlier than the “Zionist occupation plane intentionally bombed the areas the place they had been being held”.
Hamas mentioned in a press release it “preserved the lives of the occupation prisoners”, supplied them with what it may, and “handled them humanely, however their military killed them together with their captors”.
“Prison Netanyahu is crying at present over the our bodies of his prisoners who returned to him in coffins, in a blatant try to evade duty for his or her killing in entrance of his viewers,” Hamas mentioned.
Whereas addressing the households of the killed Israeli captives – the households of Bibas and Lifshitz – it mentioned: “We’d have most well-liked your sons to return to you alive, however your military and authorities leaders selected to kill them as a substitute of bringing them again.”
The return of the our bodies is a part of the ceasefire settlement between Hamas and Israel that will even see a whole bunch of Palestinians launched from Israeli jails the place various them have been stored in detention with none cost or trial.
A Palestinian group mentioned Israel is withholding the stays of not less than 665 Palestinians, together with a number of killed within the Nineteen Sixties and Nineteen Seventies.
Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Khan Younis, mentioned “the positioning is symbolic for Palestinians as a result of it was a central web site for Israeli floor forces throughout the navy operations within the metropolis”.
“Preparations began within the early hours of the morning. There are masked fighters with inexperienced bands on their heads, armed with rifles and holding completely different indicators with slogans,” he mentioned. “The stage was properly ready with three essential banners. One among them talks in regards to the crimes dedicated by the Israeli forces throughout their operations in Gaza.”
Image of ‘Israeli stupidity’
The our bodies which were handed over included Israeli toddler Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel, their mom Shiri Bibas, together with a fourth captive, Oded Lifschitz.
Akiva Eldar, an Israeli creator and political analyst, mentioned the return of the our bodies marks a “very unhappy day for all of us”.
“These infants turned the image of I’d say Israeli stupidity, idiot perspective of the Israeli authorities,” Eldar instructed Al Jazeera from Tel Aviv.
He mentioned Netanyahu is properly conscious of the poor situations of the Israeli captives.
“However he has different priorities,” mentioned Eldar.
“It’s form of a race between the households who’re hoping to see their family members again residence, and Netanyahu who’s wanting to maintain his authorities so long as he can and to purchase extra time and purchase the assist of the folks on the unconventional proper that consider that land is extra valuable than the lives of individuals,” he mentioned.
Following the handover, the stays can be moved into coffins and a military rabbi will present over a brief ceremony. They are going to then be taken into Israel to the nationwide forensic institute to be recognized, a course of that might take just a few hours or perhaps a few days.
Solely after identification will there be a proper announcement of their deaths and a funeral.
The handover marks the primary return of lifeless our bodies throughout the present settlement and Israel just isn’t anticipated to verify their identities till full DNA checks have been accomplished.
Regardless of repeated violations of the ceasefire by Israeli forces, the delicate settlement that took impact on January 19 has largely held up because the first in a sequence of exchanges of captives in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel.
Netanyahu has confronted criticism from his far-right coalition allies for agreeing to the deal.
Thursday’s handover of our bodies can be adopted by the return of six dwelling captives on Saturday, in change for a whole bunch extra Palestinians, anticipated to be girls and minors detained by Israeli forces in Gaza throughout the battle.
Beneath the ceasefire deal, Hamas agreed to launch 33 captives in change for practically 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees within the first part of an settlement supposed to open the way in which in the direction of ending the battle.
Thus far 19 Israeli captives have been launched, in addition to 5 Thais who had been returned in an unscheduled handover.
Negotiations for a second part, anticipated to cowl the return of round 60 remaining captives, lower than half of whom are believed to be alive, and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip to permit an finish to the battle, are anticipated to start within the coming days.
Israel’s genocide in Gaza has killed greater than 48,000 Palestinians, with hundreds extra remaining beneath the rubble of the bombed out besieged enclave.
