Hamas returns Israeli captive Shiri Bibas' remains to Red Cross — reports

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has received a body from Hamas which the group says belongs to Israeli captive Shiri Bibas, Al Jazeera and Israeli Army Radio reported.

"The Israeli army will receive the coffin from the Red Cross as soon as coordination for that happens. The situation on the ground is quite complex," the Qatar broadcaster reported on Friday.

"Any movement in the night for the Red Cross will have to be closely coordinated with the Israeli army, which remains in a so-called buffer zone that remains 2,296 feet to one kilometre deep into the territory," it said.

An Israeli security official said the Red Cross has confirmed it received remains of Bibas, Israeli Army Radio said.

The report, citing the unnamed Israeli security official, did not provide further details.

Neither Hamas nor the Red Cross has issued any comments regarding the report.

Earlier on Friday, Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that Israel was investigating media reports suggesting Hamas had transferred Bibas' body to the ICRC.

Hamas says offered to release captives early in war

On Thursday, Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza handed over four coffins containing the remains of Israeli captives, stating that they belonged to Shiri Bibas, her two children, Kfir and Ariel, and captive Oded Lifshitz.

The transfer was part of the seventh batch under the first phase of the ongoing ceasefire agreement.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in a video statement early on Friday that Hamas had returned the body of a woman from Gaza instead of Bibas.

He vowed that Hamas would "pay the full price" for what he called a "grave breach" of the prisoner exchange agreement.

In response, Hamas rejected Netanyahu's threats and promised it would "thoroughly examine" Netanyahu's claims and announce the results transparently.

The Palestinian resistance group noted the possibility of an error or mix-up in the bodies, potentially resulting from Israeli bombardment of the site where Bibas' family was located alongside other Palestinians.

Earlier on Friday, Hamas official Taher al-Nunu accused Netanyahu of perpetuating a "series of lies" in the ongoing dispute over the return of the body of Shiri Bibas.⁠

"We say clearly that we are committed to the agreement. Mistakes can happen. We are investigating this matter," al-Nunu told Al Jazeera Arabic.

Al-Nunu blamed Netanyahu for the current crisis, saying Hamas had offered to release captives early in the war in exchange for a ceasefire, but the Israeli leader rejected the proposal.

"At that time, all the civilian hostages were alive," al-Nunu said.⁠

Bibas family slams Netanyahu

Meanwhile, relatives of the Bibas family slammed Netanyahu, saying he was also accountable for the deaths. They said he would receive "no forgiveness" for abandoning the mother and her children during their ordeal.

The sister-in-law of Shiri Bibas said in a statement that the family was "not seeking revenge right now", while levelling a measure of the blame at Netanyahu.

"There is no forgiveness for abandoning them on 7 October, and no forgiveness for abandoning them in captivity. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, we did not receive an apology from you in this painful moment," Ofri Bibas said.

"We are still waiting for Shiri and fear for her fate."