The Israeli government has received confirmation on the identities of the deceased hostages due to be released from Gaza on Thursday.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters confirmed the names of Shiri Bibas and her two children, as well as Oded Lifshitz, a journalist and peace activist. All four were murdered while in Hamas custody.
“We received the heart-shattering news that Shiri Bibas, her children Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz are no longer with us. This news cuts like a knife through our hearts, the families’ hearts and the hearts of people all over the world,” the organization wrote.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that they received the list of deceased hostages on Wednesday.
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“Israel has received the list of deceased hostages that are due to be released tomorrow, pursuant to the framework. The Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing, Brig.-Gen. (Res.) Gal Hirsch, has updated the families of the hostages via the representatives of the IDF,” Netanyahu’s office said.
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Lifshitz’ family released a public statement following news that he was deceased on Wednesday.
“These are difficult hours for us, after being informed that our beloved Oded is among the deceased hostages who will be returned to Israel tomorrow. He was taken alive from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. For 502 days we hoped and prayed for a different outcome. However, until we receive absolute certainty, our journey is not over, and even afterwards we will continue to fight until the last hostage is returned,” the family said. “We ask the media and the public not to contact us about this matter at this time and to respect our privacy.'”
The Bibas family also released a statement on the news.
“Should we receive devastating news, it must come through the proper official channels after all identification procedures are completed. We ask to refrain from eulogizing our loved ones until there is confirmation following final identification,” the family said.
The confirmation comes days after Hamas released three additional hostages on Saturday in exchange for more than 300 Palestinian prisoners as part of the delicate ceasefire agreement reached with Israel.
The hostages released were Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, 29; Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, and Iair Horn, 46. Troufanov has Israeli and Russian citizenship, Dekel-Chen is an American-Israeli and Horn is a dual citizen of Israel and Argentina.
The Palestinian prisoners were freed from Israeli jails as part of the sensitive ceasefire agreement, which has continued to hold even after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened that “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas does not release all the remaining hostages this week. Trump has also said he is committed to the U.S. purchasing and taking over Gaza and resettling Palestinians elsewhere.
Hamas also said it would delay the release of the hostages after accusing Israel of violating their agreement by not allowing in enough shelters, medical supplies, fuel and heavy equipment for clearing rubble, but the hostages were released on time and the ceasefire remains in place. Israel said it would resume fighting if hostages were not freed.
About 70 hostages remain in Hamas custody. Nearly all the remaining hostages, including Israeli soldiers, are men and about half are believed to be dead.
In the first phase of the ceasefire, 24 hostages and more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners have been released so far. The first phase includes Hamas’ release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.
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