Netanyahu vows revenge against Hamas
Shafaq News/ On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of violating the Gaza ceasefire agreement after Israel confirmed that one of the bodies recently returned by the group was not that of female hostage Shiri Bibas.
“This is a cruel and evil violation of the agreement,” Netanyahu said in a video address. “We will act with determination to bring Shiri home, along with all our hostages, both living and dead, and ensure that Hamas pays the full price for this violation.”
The accusation came after Hamas released the remains of four Israeli hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza on Thursday, including those of Shiri Bibas, as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. However, the Israeli military confirmed that forensic teams had identified the bodies of Bibas' two young sons, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 9 months, but indicated that the third body handed over was neither their mother nor any known captive.
Hamas later acknowledged the possibility of an “error or overlap” in the bodies, attributing it to Israeli airstrikes that hit the location where the Bibas family was being held. Ismail al-Thawabteh, a Hamas official, explained that Bibas’ body "was fragmented after apparently mixing with other bodies under the rubble of a site deliberately targeted by Israeli warplanes."
What’s Next?
Israel is set to release around 800 Palestinian prisoners on February 22 in exchange for six hostages Hamas has agreed to free as part of the ceasefire agreement. The Palestinian release will include 51 individuals serving life sentences, 47 who were re-arrested after being freed in the 2011 “Wafa al-Ahrar” (Gilad Shalit) deal, 59 with high prison sentences, 200 women and children from Gaza, and 445 people detained during Israel’s recent military operation.
The ceasefire, which has facilitated these hostage-prisoner exchanges, has provided a temporary pause in the war that has devastated Gaza and caused tens of thousands of casualties. As part of the broader ceasefire framework, discussions are now shifting toward the second phase, which is set to begin soon and will likely include further prisoner swaps and steps toward de-escalation. This next phase is crucial in determining the future direction of the conflict.
