NEW DEPTHS
Israelis demand Hamas face ‘hell’ over sick parade of murdered kids’ locked coffins – that had to be screened for bombs
The Bibas family are said to be in "turmoil" over the confirmation of the death of Kfir, Ariel and Shiri
ISRAEL has demanded Hamas thugs face "hell" after they put on a twisted parade using the locked coffins of four killed hostages.
The remains of the youngest Israeli hostage Kfir, 2, his mum Shiri, 33 and older brother Ariel, 5 were among those released today.
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Kidnapped Israeli journalist Oded Lifshitz's body was the fourth to be repatriated in the first planned release of the hostages who have died in captivity.
Hamas handed over the Israelis inside sickening black coffins with the faces of the hostages on them and a twisted image of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The IDF - who were given the coffins by Red Cross volunteers - said they had to screen the boxes "for security purposes" over potential bomb fears.
It was reported in local media that the coffins were all locked by Hamas before they gave them up.
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Unverified claims also said the correct keys were not handed over - leaving the IDF having to pry open the boxes.
The harrowing spectacle this morning saw evil masked militants, dressed in their usual green balaclavas and combat gear, parading through the city of Khan Younis.
Hamas fighters stood in formation around a makeshift stage where the bodies were handed over to the Red Cross.
The vile militants lifted up a curtain to reveal the coffins on the platform.
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A disturbing poster acted as a backdrop for the twisted parade which again showed the PM and the four brave hostages.
Hundreds of men, women and children gathered in the devastated Gaza strip to watch the release as official documents verifying the transfer were signed.
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Hamas have spent the first few weeks of the hostage deal celebrating each trade by making chilling propaganda videos - with today being viewed by many as the most deplorable of all.
Israeli politician IItamar Ben Gvir even said Hamas should be marched to “the gates of hell” due to the harrowing handover ceremony.
The bodies are now with the IDF back in Israel after they held a short military ceremony back in the Gaza Strip.
Images show troops paying their respects as they draped the coffins in Israeli flags before sending them off to Tel Aviv just after 1:30pm local time (11:30am GMT).
Touching footage of the moment a motorcade supported by Israeli troops passed across the border showed how dozens of police officers saluted as the coffins were driven past.
The caskets are now said to be in the Abu Kabir forensic institute where doctors will determine both when and how the hostages died.
It could take up to 48 hours for results to come back depending on the condition of the bodies.
The heartbroken families are due to be the first ones identified when the bodies and cause of deaths are confirmed after spending more than 500 days unaware of what condition their loved ones were in.
HAMAS HORRORS CONDEMNED
The despicable show put on by the Middle Eastern terror group has been widely condemned across the globe for its depravity.
Devastated President Isaac Herzog also took to X to say: “Agony. Pain. There are no words.
“Our hearts - the hearts of an entire nation - lie in tatters.”
As chief rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the deaths of Hamas' youngest captive and his family only add "another layer of evil" to the terror group.
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One of the most scathing reactions saw Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli say the West failed to truly realise the "pure evil" lurking nearby.
The Israeli politician wrote online: "We have raised generations to believe that monsters exist only in fairy tales, that there is no true right or wrong, and that all cultures are equal.
“And then comes this accursed day, a day of horror and shame, when an elderly man, a mother, and her two children who were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists are paraded like trophies before a cheering, flag-waving crowd in Gaza."
United Nations Human Rights chief Volker Turk made a statement earlier today saying “the parading of bodies in Gaza is abhorrent and cruel and flies in the face of international law”.
Earlier on, Israeli PM Netanyahu called it a "heartbreaking day" for the people of Israel.
He described the Bibas family and Lifshitz as "fallen heroes".
And Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer shared he was "deeply saddened" by the death of Oded, adding that his thoughts were also with the Bibas family "who have faced immense pain as they awaited news of Shiri and her sons Kfir and Ariel".
He said in a statement: "We must see all remaining hostages released, and the ceasefire upheld.
"My government remains committed to working with our international partners to bring an end to this suffering and secure a long-term peace in the Middle East."
The Prime Minister had met with Oded's daughter Sharone in Downing Street prior to the devastating news, where she showed "remarkable strength in the face of the most difficult circumstances".
Israel are also aware of four other hostages who are confirmed as dead and due to be handed over soon.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum labelled the news of the deaths as “heart-shattering” this week.
It is not yet clear who the other deceased captives are as Israeli hostage families desperately continue to cling on to hope.
Women, children and men were brutalised by Hamas terrorists from the moment they swept across the border amid the October 7 atrocity.
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Vile terrorists captured 251 hostages, many of who were subjected to unspeakably warped treatment, with another 1,200 killed.
At least 66 hostages still remain captive in Gaza over 500 days on from the initial bloodshed with those who died in captivity finally being returned to their loved ones.
Only half are believed to be still alive, Israel fears.
A top Hamas official said another six living hostages will be freed on Saturday before another set of bodies are returned.
The six are said to be the last living hostages Hamas will release during the first phase of the fragile ceasefire agreement.
They are Eliya Cohen, Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, Hisham Al-Sayed, and Avera Mengistu, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
A family left in turmoil
The loved ones of the Bibas brothers and mum are said to be in "turmoil" after all three tragically died while in Hamas captivity.
Baby Kfir, Ariel and Shiri were kidnapped on October 7, alongside Yarden, Shiri's husband and the boys' father.
He was freed earlier on February 1 after spending 484 days in Gaza's terror tunnels on his own, as he was quickly separated from his family.
The whole family sheltered inside their home on Kibbutz Nir Oz when Hamas fiends rampaged through southern Israel on October 7.
They kept anxious relatives elsewhere in Israel updated by text message as gunmen stormed through neighbours' homes.
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A short time later a horrific video emerged of Shiri looking utterly terrified and crying as she clung to her two sons while Hamas gunmen led them away from the family home.
Relatives had been clinging onto hope despite having no proof of life over the family for months.
That hope was extinguished this week with confirmation that the mother and boys – who had been on the list for release in the first six-week phase of the ceasefire – were dead.
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The fourth body returned was 84-year-old retired journalist and peace activist Oded Lifschitz.
He was snatched from kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel, along with this wife, Yocheved, 85, on October 7.
What happened on October 7?
ON OCTOBER 7, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal surprise attack on Israel, marking one of the darkest days in the nation’s history.
Terrorists stormed across the border from Gaza, killing over 1,200 people — most of them civilians — and kidnapping 250 others, including women, children, and the elderly.
The coordinated assault saw heavily armed fighters infiltrate Israeli towns, kibbutzim, and military bases, unleashing indiscriminate violence.
Innocent families were slaughtered in their homes, and graphic footage of the atrocities spread across social media, leaving the world in shock.
And as well as attacking people in their homes, they stormed the Nova music peace festival - killing at least 364 people there alone.
The massacre triggered a swift and massive retaliatory response from Israel, escalating into a full-scale war.
The attack not only reignited long-standing tensions in the region but also left deep scars on both sides of the conflict, setting the stage for the 15 months of devastation that followed.
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They'll regret it
Exclusive by Nick Parker
WHAT are the cornered Hamas rats thinking when they line up the coffins of murdered children in front of a picture of Benjamin Netanyahu as a blood-soaked vampire?
Do they really think stunts like this will garner more support from their deluded followers, who believe Israel is the epitome of all evil?
Do they think twisting the knife in the open wounds of an Israeli public struggling to contain its grief will weaken their enemy?
On both counts they are wrong and the more they bait and wind up Israel, the more they will come to regret it in the fullness of time.
Hamas and its death cult ideology is a spent force and making Israelis weep with anger may be its only remaining weapon — and one which will soon by turned against them.
The gamechanger in the Middle East is US President Donald Trump. He is 200 per cent on Israel’s side.
Israelis mourning the deaths of children, their mother and a peace campaigner should at least take comfort — evil Hamas will not be allowed to run Gaza much longer.
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