The handover of the dead Israeli hostages becomes a national celebration among Palestinians. In Israel, however, the day tears people apart.
With deep sorrow and grief, Israel received the bodies of four hostages from the terrorists on Thursday. According to Hamas, they are the members of the Bibas family – mother Shiri, young Ariel, and baby Kfir – and Oded Lifshit, who was 83 years old at the time of the terrorist massacre.
The fate of the Bibas family has received particular international attention. Kfir Bibas was only nine months old at the time of the terrorist massacre, his brother Ariel four years old. One of the terrorist videos showed their terrified mother, Schiri, surrounded by terrorists, trying to protect her children. Their father, Jarden, was released on February 1st.
Oded Lifshiz was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Os on October 7, along with his wife Jocheved. She was released on October 23, 2023, during a handover, along with another hostage. The Lifshiz couple were among the founders of Nir Os and were peace activists. Among other things, they brought patients from the Gaza Strip to Israel.
People line the streets
This morning, the Red Cross handed over the coffins to the army in the Gaza Strip. Experts examined them first to ensure they did not contain explosives. According to media reports, the coffins were locked, but no keys were provided.
The army then held a brief memorial ceremony. The bodies were placed in new coffins wrapped in an Israeli flag. Police then transported the bodies in a convoy of white vehicles, sometimes in stormy rain, to the National Center for Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for identification. The examination is also intended to determine the cause of death, if possible.
People lined the streets where the funeral procession would pass, waving Israeli flags and the yellow flags of the hostage movement. Among them were school classes that interrupted their lessons. At the hostage plaza in Tel Aviv, a crowd watched the developments with rapt attention. Television commentators movingly stated: "The whole nation is weeping."
The government emphasized on Thursday morning that families would only receive official notification after identification. It asked the public to refrain from speculation. The identification process would take several hours.
President Yitzhak Herzog attempted to put the emotions of the day into words: "This is a moment of anguish and pain. The heart of an entire people lies in ruins." He also asked the victims for forgiveness, as the state had failed to protect them and bring them back safely.
Hamas propaganda show
As with the release of the live hostages, the Palestinians turned the handover of the coffins to the Red Cross in Khan Younis into a spectacle and a veritable public festival. Loudspeaker announcements and triumphant music blared. Children were among the gawking spectators. The scenes were presented on social media channels with upbeat music.
Former Israeli UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan commented on these scenes and criticized Palestinian society: “Even in Nazi Germany, there were Germans who saved Jews. Not a single Gazan rescued even a hostage.” Erdan demanded that Hamas be completely eradicated and that society be “denazified.”.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) also criticized the fact that the coffins were displayed on a stage: "Images that are almost unbearable. Until the very end, the hostage families are exposed to unrestrained Hamas terror." Schiri Bibas and her children also hold German citizenship.
Communication error in the army
To make matters worse, the army's communication also caused emotional turmoil. Apparently, military officials had confirmed the names of the bodies to reporters on Wednesday, after receiving them from the terrorist organization Hamas. However, the families of the four victims had not yet given permission for their release.
The government office had already announced that the families had consented to publication. That evening, the army, which is responsible for communicating with the families, apologized. It admitted that, despite its best intentions, a mistake had been made. The incident will be investigated. (Israelnetz)
