JERUSALEM — The remains of a mother of two young boys who were taken to Gaza together at the start of the Israel-Hamas war have been returned to Israel, bringing the total closer to the 33 hostages supposed to be released under the ceasefire that started last month.

Hamas released four bodies, including the youngest captive taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack, Kfir Bibas, and his brother.

DNA testing had found that remains returned a day earlier purportedly of Ms. Bibas, a dead Israeli hostage, were in fact not hers, stirring outrage in Israel.

A few hours after Hamas said it would return the bodies of Israeli hostages Shiri Bibas and her two little children on Thursday, her sister-in-law said she had not given up hope of seeing them return home,

Hamas on Thursday handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages held in Gaza — the first time the group has released deceased captives since October 7, 2023.

Today's release is the first time Hamas has handed over the bodies of hostages during the war, although several have been recovered by Israeli forces in Gaza and returned to Israel.

Israel had long braced to learn the fate of Kfir, who was just shy of 9 months old when he was abducted from kibbutz Nir Oz along with his parents, Yarden and S

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, February 16, 2025. Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday Israel would make Hamas pay for failing to release the body of hostage Shiri Bibas as agreed.

When Bibas’s husband, Yarden, was freed by Hamas on February 1, there was a ray of hope that perhaps against all odds the family might be reunited in

A coffin is currently in the hands of the Red Cross and on its way to Israel, a spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office confirmed on Friday.