Authorities have positively identified the remains of Shiri Bibas, a woman initially believed to be among four hostages killed by Hamas. Her body was handed over to Israel earlier this week.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters verified the identification of Bibas. Her remains were returned to Israel on Friday, following Hamas’s initial handover of a Palestinian woman from Gaza on Thursday.

On Friday, Hamas transferred a coffin containing Bibas’ remains to the Red Cross, which then passed the coffin to Israeli authorities for examination by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine.

“Last night, our Shiri was returned home,” the family stated. “Following the identification process, we received the devastating news this morning – our Shiri was murdered in captivity and has now returned home to her sons, husband, sister, and all her family for rest.”

“Despite our fears about their fate, we continued to hope that we would get to embrace them, and now we are in pain and heartbroken,” the family continued. “For 16 months we sought certainty, and now that it’s here, it brings no comfort, though we hope it marks the beginning of closure.”

The family’s statement also described Shiri as “a wonderful mother to Ariel and Kfir, a loving partner to Yarden, a devoted sister and aunt, and an amazing friend.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted on Friday that Hamas would “pay the full price” for allegedly providing the body of a Palestinian woman from Gaza instead of Bibas’ remains.

Earlier, the Israeli military confirmed the identification of the remains of Bibas’ two sons, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, along with Oded Lifshitz. While four bodies were returned on Thursday, the one expected to be Shiri Bibas was not among them.

Hamas has stated it “has no interest in withholding any bodies in its possession.” The group claims the dead hostages handed over on Thursday were killed by an Israeli airstrike in November 2023. They suggested that the bodies could have been misidentified due to the heavy bombardments in the area.

Following the return of Shiri Bibas’s remains, her family is now urging the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza. Six hostages are expected to be released on Saturday.

“In this difficult hour, we continue to demand and call for the immediate return of the remaining hostages still in captivity. There is no more important goal. There can be no rehabilitation without them,” the Bibas family said.

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