Israel says Hamas has not handed over the body of hostage Shiri Bibas – saying they had instead received the remains of an “anonymous body without identification”.

Ms Bibas was kidnapped with her sons – four-year-old Ariel, and nine-month-old Kfir – from the Niz Or kibbutz during the Palestinian militant group’s incursion into Israel in October 2023.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed they received the bodies of Ariel and Kfir today.

However, they said the body that Hamas had claimed was their mother was not her.

In a statement, the IDF said: “During the identification process, it was found that the additional body received was not that of Shiri Bibas, and no match was found for any other abductee. It is an anonymous body without identification.

“This is a very serious violation by the Hamas terrorist organisation, which is required by the agreement to return four dead abductees. We demand that Hamas return Shiri home along with all of our abductees.”

The IDF added: “We share the deep sorrow of the Bibas family at this difficult time and will continue to make every effort to return Shiri and all the kidnapped as soon as possible.”

Ariel and Kfir’s father Yarden Bibas was released on 1 February as part of the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.

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Israeli police are investigating reports of explosions involving several buses.

A police spokesperson called the incident in Bat Yam a “suspected terror attack” after receiving “multiple reports have been received of explosions involving several buses at different locations” in the city, located south of Tel Aviv.

They said in a statement: “Large police forces are at the scenes, searching for suspects.

“Police bomb disposal units are scanning for additional suspicious objects.

“We urge the public to avoid the areas and remain alert for any suspicious items.”

The police force said on social media that “no injuries have been reported at this stage”. Later they added that the Shin Bet internal security agency was taking over the investigation.

Speaking to local broadcaster Channel 12, an Israeli police official said the bombs used were with a timer and were non-standard explosives.

They added that investigators believe the bombs look similar to those made in the West Bank, but it is not confirmed where they were made.

Israeli police spokesperson Asi Aharoni separately told Channel 13 TV that undetonated explosives were found on two other buses.

Tzvika Brot, mayor of Bat Yam, also called it a miracle that no one was hurt, and said the buses had finished their routes and were in a parking lot.

He said one of the unexploded bombs was being defused in Holon, a town near Bat Yam.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office added in a statement that he was being updated by his military secretary on the situation, and would soon hold a security assessment.

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The bodies of an Israeli mother and her two children have been handed over by Hamas – as the process was labelled “inhumane” by the United Nations human rights chief.

Shiri Bibas, four-year-old Ariel, and nine-month-old Kfir were kidnapped from a kibbutz during the militant group’s October 2023 attack.

The children’s father, Yarden Bibas, was released on 1 February as part of the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.

Live updates – Hamas attacks Netanyahu as it releases bodies

The body of journalist and peace activist Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was abducted, was also handed over.

Hamas has said they were all killed in Israeli airstrikes near the start of the war. The group has never provided evidence to back this up, while Israel has not confirmed the claims.

The Bibas family has become a powerful symbol of the 251 Israelis kidnapped on 7 October – not least because Kfir was the youngest taken.

The bodies were handed to the Red Cross in the Gaza city of Khan Younis on Thursday morning.

Four black coffins were displayed on a stage before being put into vehicles and driven towards Israel as masked members of Hamas and other factions looked on.

United Nations human rights chief, Volker Turk, called the parading of the four bodies “cruel” and “inhumane” in a statement on Thursday.

He said: “Under international law, any 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.”

Sky’s international correspondent, Diana Magnay, added that Hamas used the handover as a “propaganda opportunity” and had tried to send the message: “This was caused by you, you should take responsibility for it.”

“They had missiles on the stage where the four coffins were, saying they were killed by US bombs,” Magnay said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also depicted as a vampire in an image behind the dead hostages.

Sombre moment for Israelis – as Hamas uses opportunity for propaganda

Diana Magnay

International correspondent

@DiMagnaySky

The return of the bodies of four Israeli hostages is a “sombre moment” for everybody in Israel and Jews across the world, our international correspondent Diana Magnay says.

She says the two young boys, Ariel and Kfir, “really became a symbol of the tremendous suffering 7 October caused”.

“Now, to have them returned back in this way is tragic.”

Referring to the scenes of coffins being transferred to the Red Cross, Magnay says Hamas has chosen to use this “as a propaganda opportunity”.

“They have missiles on the stage where the four coffins were, saying they were killed by US bombs,” she explains.

She says Hamas’s main message is “this was caused by you, you should take responsibility for it”.

She adds that 7 October was caused by Hamas, and has brought “untold suffering to both Israel and Palestinians”.

Israel’s heart ‘in tatters’

At the family’s request, the Israeli military held a small funeral before the bodies were taken to a Tel Aviv laboratory for DNA tests to verify their identity.

Mr Netanyahu said it would be “a very difficult day for the state of Israel”, while President Isaac Herzog said “the hearts of an entire nation lie in tatters” and asked for “forgiveness for not protecting you”.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) posted on X saying it could confirm that Mr Lifshitz was “murdered… in captivity by Islamic Jihad”.

It added: “We send our deepest condolences to his wife, Yocheved, and to the rest of his family.”

Israel previously said it was extremely concerned about the condition of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir but had never confirmed their deaths.

All four of the Israelis were abducted at Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of a number of communities overrun by Hamas on the day of the surprise attack.

Video showed Shiri Bibas appearing terrified as she cradled her boys while they were taken into Gaza.

The family said this week their “journey is not over” until they receive confirmation of what happened to Shiri and the boys.

Meanwhile, six living hostages, the final due to be freed under the first phase of the Gaza truce deal, will also be released on Saturday, according to Hamas.

Israelis who survived being held prisoner in Gaza have been released in small groups since the first six-week phase began last month.

Three more – Alexander Troufanov, Sagui Dekel Chen and Iair Horn – were freed last weekend. The swap included 369 Palestinians, the most released so far.

The deal has provided a vital pause in the fighting that’s devastated Gaza and left tens of thousands dead.

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Israel said negotiations on the second phase of the deal and an extension to the ceasefire would start this week.

Foreign minister Gideon Saar said it would involve the remaining hostages being exchanged for more Palestinian prisoners.

At least 1,200 people were killed in the attack that started the war.

Since then, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks. Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and fighters.