Hamas on Thursday released the bodies of four Israeli hostages, said to include a mother and her two children who have long been feared dead and had come to embody the nation鈥檚 agony following .
The remains were presumed to be of Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, as well as Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was abducted. Kfir taken that day. Hamas has said all four were killed along with their guards in Israeli airstrikes.
Israel and Hamas have yet to negotiate the second and of the ceasefire, and the first ends in early March. Palestinians and Arab countries have universally U.S. President proposal to from Gaza and take over the territory.
Since began, more than 50,000 people have died in Gaza and Lebanon and in Gaza have been devastated, according to health ministries in Gaza and Lebanon. Around 1,200 people were killed in Israel during .
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Here's the latest:
UN rights chief says it was 鈥榓bhorrent鈥� for Gaza militants to parade hostages' coffins
The U.N. human rights chief is denouncing the 鈥渁bhorrent and cruel鈥� parading of Israeli hostages' bodies as they were released from Gaza.
Hamas militants displayed four black coffins on a stage amid the ruins of the southern city of Khan Younis on Thursday surrounded by banners, including a large one depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a vampire. Thousands of people, including large numbers of masked and armed militants, looked on as the coffins were loaded onto Red Cross vehicles before being driven to Israeli forces.
鈥淭he parading of bodies in the manner seen this morning is abhorrent and cruel, and flies in the face of international law,鈥� said Volker T眉rk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, in a statement.
鈥淯nder international law,鈥� he said, 鈥渁ny handover of the remains of deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families.鈥�
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Macron and British Embassy in Israel release somber messages after hostages' bodies are returned
President Emmanuel Macron said France stands by the family of the hostages whose bodies were released from Gaza on Thursday.
鈥淔aces of innocence and love鈥� faces of eternal humanity that the barbarism of Hamas will never destroy,鈥� Macron wrote on X, along with photos of Shiri Bibas and her two sons, Kfir and Ariel, whose bodies were returned to Israel.
The British Embassy in Israel also expressed support for Israel. 鈥淔or over 500 days we hoped for the safe return of all the hostages. This hope is broken, but we mustn鈥檛 give up on those still held hostage in Gaza,鈥� it said on X.
After Trump's Gaza proposal, Saudi Arabia will host a meeting of Arab countries
Saudi Arabia will host the region's Arab countries on Friday, describing it as 鈥渁n informal brotherly gathering鈥� under the direction of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom鈥檚 de facto ruler.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency said the leaders of the regional bloc, the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as Egypt and Jordan, have been invited. It said the gathering 鈥� ahead of an Arab League summit in Egypt on March 4 鈥� will include discussion on possible 鈥渏oint Arab action."
President Donald Trump has suggested that displaced Palestinians in Gaza be permanently resettled outside the war-torn territory and proposed the United States take 鈥渙wnership鈥� in redeveloping the area into 鈥渢he Riviera of the Middle East.鈥�
That has drawn sharp criticism from the Mideast Arab nations, which roundly back the Palestinians in having their own independent state, with Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank as part of the long-pursued two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel's military holds short funeral ceremony after receiving coffins from Hamas
The Israeli military held a short funeral ceremony on Thursday after receiving coffins from Hamas said to contain the remains of four hostages.
A military rabbi read a Kaddish prayer and chapters from the Book of Psalms, based on a request from the families. Troops fired ceremonial shots into the air.
Prior to the ceremony, the coffins were checked for explosives or dangerous substances.
After the prayers, the remains were transported to a laboratory in Israel where they will undergo DNA testing, which could take up to two days. Only then would there be an official confirmation of the deaths.
Hamas begins handover of remains of 4 Israeli hostages
Hamas militants displayed four black coffins on a stage surrounded by militant banners ahead of the handover Thursday of hostages' remains.
The coffins were then handed over to Red Cross vehicles at the scene to accept the bodies and return them to Israel.
The handover is part of a ceasefire that paused Israel鈥檚 15-month military offensive in Gaza, launched after Hamas鈥� Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
鈻� Read more about the .
The Associated Press
