Connect with us

Published

on

The bodies of an Israeli mother and her two children have been handed over by Hamas.

Shiri Bibas, four-year-old Ariel and nine-month-old Kfir were kidnapped from a kibbutz during the 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 – Bodies of Israeli hostages released by Hamas

Oded Lifshitz, 84, taken from Nir-Oz. Pic: Bring Them Home Now
Image:
Oded Lifshitz, 84, was also taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Pic: Bring Them Home Now

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

Hamas has claimed they were all killed in Israeli airstrikes near the start of the war.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it would be “a very difficult day for the state of Israel. An upsetting day, a day of grief”.

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 southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Thursday morning. They will later undergo DNA tests in Tel Aviv to verify their identity.

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

A Hamas militant stands on stage near coffins during the handover of deceased hostages Oded Lifschitz, Shiri Bibas and her two children Kfir and Ariel Bibas, seized during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, to the Red Cross, as part of a ceasefire and hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, February 20, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Image:
The coffins were displayed on a stage. Pic: Reuters

Palestinian Hamas militant stands guard as people gather on the day Hamas hands over deceased hostages Oded Lifschitz, Shiri Bibas and her two children Kfir and Ariel Bibas, seized during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, to the Red Cross, as part of a ceasefire and hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip February 20, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
Image:
Pic: Reuters

Israel previously said it was extremely concerned about the condition of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir but has 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.

Released Israeli hostage Yarden Bibas embraces loved ones. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Yarden Bibas was released earlier this month. Pic: Reuters

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 kidnapped – and more than a year of war – have been released in small groups since the first six-week phase began last month.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Israeli hostage hugs wife

Three more – Alexander Troufanov, Sagui Dekel Chen and Iair Horn – were freed last weekend.

The swap included 369 Palestinians, the most released up until now, and 19 Israeli hostages have been returned so far in the current phase – which ends at the start of March.

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

Israel said negotiations on the second phase of the deal would “happen this week”.

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

Continue Reading

World

Dublin Airport terminal evacuated as ‘safety precaution’

Published

on

By

Dublin Airport terminal evacuated as 'safety precaution'

Passengers have been evacuated from Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2 as a “precautionary measure”. 

Flights could be “temporarily impacted”, the airport said in a statement.

It did not give any details about the reason for the evacuation but said “the safety and security of our passengers and staff is our absolute priority”.

At this stage there is no suggestion the evacuation is linked to the cyber attack that has caused disruption at several European airports.

“We advise passengers to check with their airline for the latest updates,” the airport added, saying further information would be provided as soon as it is available.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Continue Reading

World

At least 70 killed in Sudan after paramilitary attack on mosque

Published

on

By

At least 70 killed in Sudan after paramilitary attack on mosque

At least 70 people have been killed after a paramilitary drone attack on a mosque in Sudan.

The Sudanese army and aid workers said the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out the attack during Friday prayers in the North Darfur region.

The attack took place in the besieged city of Al Fasher and was said to have completely destroyed the mosque.

With bodies still buried under the rubble, the number of deaths is likely to rise, a worker with the local aid group Emergency Response Rooms said.

The worker spoke anonymously, fearing retaliation from the RSF.

Further details of the attack were difficult to ascertain because it took place in an area where many international and charitable organisations have already pulled out because of the violence.

In a statement, Sudan’s army said it was mourning the victims of the attack.

It said: “Targeting civilians unjustly is the motto of this rebel militia, and it continues to do so in full view of the entire world.”

Sky News Africa correspondent Yousra Elbagir reported earlier this month on the situation in North Darfur, where people are facing torture, rape and forced starvation.

The Sudan war started in April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between the Sudanese army and the RSF broke out in Khartoum.

The US special envoy to Sudan estimates that 150,000 people have been killed, but the exact figure is unknown. Close to 12 million people have been displaced.

Several mediation attempts have failed to secure a humanitarian access mechanism or any lulls in fighting.

Read more from Sky News:
Cyber attack disrupts European airports
More than 1,000 migrants arrive in small boats in one day

The Resistance Committees in El Fasher, a group of local activists who track abuses, posted a video on Friday claiming to show parts of the mosque reduced to rubble with several scattered bodies.

The Darfur Victims Support Organisation, which monitors abuses against civilians, said the attack happened at a mosque on the Daraga al Oula street at around 5am local time, citing witnesses.

The attack is the latest in a series of heavy clashes in the past week of between the two sides in Al Fasher.

Continue Reading

World

Less camp, more conservative – welcome to Russia’s alternative Eurovision

Published

on

By

Less camp, more conservative - welcome to Russia's alternative Eurovision

Banned from Eurovision after its invasion of Ukraine, Russia will hold a rival international song contest on Saturday, with an emphasis on “traditional values”.

Instead of camp, think conservative – patriotic pop with a PG-rating.

“Intervision” was launched under the order of Vladimir Putin, with the hope it would serve as an expression of Moscow’s international pulling power.

Intervision decorations in  Red Square, Moscow, ahead of the contest
Image:
Intervision decorations in Red Square, Moscow, ahead of the contest

There are contestants from 23 countries, which are a mixture of Russia’s allies old and new, including Belarus, Cuba and Tajikistan as well as China, India and Saudi Arabia.

The odd one out is the United States, who’ll be represented by an artist called “Vassy”. She’s not part of an official delegation, but an American voice is still a coup for the Kremlin, which will seek to use this contest as proof of the West’s failure to isolate Russia on the global stage.

‘War whitewash’

Intervision is not entirely new. It was originally launched in the 1960s as an instrument of Soviet soft power, before largely fading from view in the 1980s.

More on Eurovision

According to Moscow, its revival has nothing to do with politics. But Ukraine has condemned it as propaganda, and an attempt to whitewash Russia’s war.

It was a point I put to some contestants after their final press conferences, but it didn’t go down well.

“We don’t think like that, we are here to spread peace,” India’s Rauhan Malik told me, when I asked if his participation was a show of support for Russia’s invasion.

Malik, one of the contestants
Image:
Malik, one of the contestants

“Are you not turning a blind eye to Russia’s aggression?” I countered.

“I have no idea about it,” he said. “I have no idea about the current situation that’s happening. I don’t want to speak about that as well.”

Eurovision legends Abba would almost certainly not make the Russian contest guest list. Pic: AP
Image:
Eurovision legends Abba would almost certainly not make the Russian contest guest list. Pic: AP

Really? He had no idea? But before I could go on, I felt a forceful hand on my shoulder and a minder stepped in.

The intervention was even quicker when it came to speaking to Brazil’s act. As soon as I mentioned the word Ukraine, I was drowned out by shouts of “no, no, no, no” and the duo were ushered away.

Brazilian contestants, duo Luciano Calazans and Thais Nader
Image:
Brazilian contestants, duo Luciano Calazans and Thais Nader

Where’s the glitter?

Intervision is not just a reaction to Russia’s recent exclusion from Eurosivion, however, it’s also a reaction to the contest’s values and what it’s come to represent.

Its celebration of sexual diversity and LGBTQ+ rights are seen as a symbol of what the Kremlin calls the West’s moral decline. In contrast, Intervision organisers say their contest will promote “traditional, family values.”

Judging by the costumes on show ahead of last week’s draw, that translates to less glitter, more embroidery, with a thematic emphasis on national heritage.

Read more from Sky News:
NATO responds after Russian military jets ‘violate’ Estonian airspace
‘Gender testing rules would have earned me an Olympic medal’

Two ambulance workers arrested in connection with six deaths

Follow the World
Follow the World

Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday

Tap to follow

So what do Russians think of Intervision’s resurrection? Can it replace Eurovision?

“We don’t miss Eurovision,” Galina and Tatiana say, underneath a collection of purple and pink ‘Intervision’ flags near Red Square.

“It was so horrible, especially lately. We didn’t like watching it at all.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Why are countries boycotting Eurovision?

Polina agrees, believing Russia’s version will be “more interesting”.

“Many countries that participated in Eurovision want to boycott it, so it’s interesting to see a more peaceful event now,” she says.

Igor is more circumspect. “I’d like to believe that this isn’t a political event,” he says, “but rather an event that unites nations and people.”

Intervision will succeed in uniting some nations. But at the same time, it may only deepen divisions with others – further evidence that Russia and the West are singing very different tunes.

Continue Reading

Trending