On Thursday, Hamas handed over the bodies of two young Israeli hostages—Kfir Bibas, a nine-month-old infant, and his four-year-old brother, Ariel. These two children were among the youngest captives taken by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 attack, becoming powerful symbols of the profound trauma caused that day.

The Handover Process

The bodies were delivered in four black coffins, each bearing a small photograph of the deceased. Red Cross vehicles transported the coffins away from the Gaza Strip, escorted by armed Hamas militants in black and camouflage uniforms. The United Nations’ Volker Turk condemned the “parading of bodies” as cruel and abhorrent, emphasizing that international law requires respect for the dignity of the deceased.

Upon the bodies’ transfer, the coffins were scanned for explosives by the Israeli military before being transported to Israel. As the convoy passed by, Israelis gathered in the rain near the Gaza border to pay their respects. One mourner, Efrat, expressed the collective grief, saying, “We stand here together, with a broken heart. The sky is also crying with us, and we pray to see better days.”

In Tel Aviv, people gathered outside Israel’s defense headquarters, known as Hostages Square, some visibly weeping. President Isaac Herzog shared the nation’s sorrow, stating, “Agony. Pain. There are no words. Our hearts— the hearts of an entire nation—lie in tatters.”

Controversial Symbolism

A militant in Gaza stood beside a poster featuring an image of a man standing over coffins draped in Israeli flags. The poster depicted tree roots instead of legs, implying that the land belonged to Palestinians, with the text: “The Return of the War = The Return of Your Prisoners in Coffins.” This imagery added to the tension surrounding the handover, which has been criticized as being part of Hamas’ broader public campaign.

Background on the Hostages

Kfir and Ariel’s mother, Shiri Bibas, was also among those abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a community near Gaza that was overrun by Hamas militants on October 7. The boys’ abduction, along with their mother, became a powerful symbol of the violence inflicted that day. Hamas initially claimed in November 2023 that the boys and their mother had been killed in an Israeli airstrike, though Israeli authorities had not confirmed their deaths at that time.

Yiftach Cohen, a resident of Nir Oz, spoke to the significance of the Bibas family’s story, noting, “Shiri and the kids became a symbol.” The village had lost about a quarter of its residents, either killed or kidnapped, during the attack. The father, Yarden Bibas, was released in a prisoner exchange earlier this month.

Another prominent hostage, 83-year-old Oded Lifschitz, was taken from the same kibbutz. A former journalist and peace activist, Lifschitz had been an outspoken critic of Israeli policies, including Prime Minister Netanyahu’s stance on the two-state solution. Lifschitz was released earlier, while his wife, Yocheved, was freed two weeks after their abduction.

Hamas’ Ceasefire Agreement and Future Handover Plans

The bodies of Kfir, Ariel, Shiri, and Oded were handed over as part of the ceasefire agreement brokered by Qatar and Egypt with U.S. backing. The Red Cross had called for the handover to be carried out with dignity, although Hamas’ public display of the bodies sparked growing condemnation.

This handover marked the first return of deceased hostages under the current agreement. However, Israel has not confirmed their identities until DNA testing is completed.

The October 7 Hamas-led attack killed approximately 1,200 Israelis, while 251 people were taken hostage. Israel’s subsequent military operations in Gaza have resulted in around 48,000 Palestinian casualties, according to health authorities. Gaza’s densely populated areas have been devastated.

The exchange will continue with six living hostages scheduled for release on Saturday in exchange for Palestinian detainees. These negotiations are expected to cover the return of around 60 hostages, less than half of whom are believed to be alive. Talks will also address the potential withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza to end the ongoing conflict.

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Qatar’s government and a senior Palestinian official confirmed that the most senior Hamas leader outside of Gaza, along with other key members of its negotiating team, are no longer based in Doha. However, Qatar’s foreign ministry clarified that Hamas’s office in the capital is not permanently closed, as it no longer serves a function following Qatar’s suspension of its mediation efforts for a Gaza ceasefire.

The spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry emphasized that the office’s closure was not permanent, stating that a decision to shut it down would be announced directly by Qatar. He added that the current absence of Hamas leaders in Doha is due to the suspension of the mediation process, noting that the office was initially established to facilitate negotiations.

A Palestinian official, speaking to the BBC, confirmed that Hamas negotiators had altered their presence in the region, keeping their locations private to avoid causing embarrassment to host countries. It was speculated that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh might be in Turkey, given his recent visits there.

The official also denied reports suggesting that Qatar had explicitly asked Hamas leaders to leave. However, it appears that Qatar is carefully navigating its relationship with both the current U.S. administration under President Joe Biden and the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump to avoid any diplomatic tensions.

Qatar has hosted Hamas’s political bureau since 2012, playing a significant role in facilitating indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel. However, recent developments indicate a shift in this relationship. Earlier in November, Qatar announced it had paused efforts to broker a ceasefire, citing a lack of willingness from both sides to end the conflict.

In response to questions about the presence of Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari confirmed that members of Hamas’s negotiating team are no longer in the city, noting, “They move between different capitals.” He also emphasized that any news of a permanent office closure would come directly from the Qatari government.

Hamas, in a statement on Telegram, denied reports from Israeli media that suggested Hamas leadership had left Qatar for Turkey. The Turkish foreign ministry also rejected these claims, asserting that while members of Hamas’s political bureau occasionally visit Turkey, they have not relocated there.

The U.S. State Department, through spokesperson Matthew Miller, expressed its opposition to Hamas leadership living comfortably in any major city, particularly those in allied nations like Turkey. Miller reiterated that several Hamas leaders are under U.S. indictment and should be handed over to the United States.

Turkey, which does not classify Hamas as a terrorist organization, has often hosted members of the group. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has defended Hamas as a resistance movement and criticized Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas intensified following the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas militants, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages taken. In retaliation, Israel launched a military operation aimed at dismantling Hamas. Since then, more than 43,970 people have died in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

During a visit to Gaza on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his commitment to ensuring that Hamas would not be allowed to govern Gaza after the war, vowing to bring all hostages back home safely. Israel has offered a reward for information leading to the return of hostages still being held by Hamas.

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