Netanyahu claims Hamas handed over remains of Gazan woman instead of Shiri Bibas, vows retaliation

By Ikram Kouachi

ANKARA (AA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Friday that Palestinian group Hamas violated the terms of a prisoner exchange deal by handing over the body of an unidentified woman from Gaza instead of that of hostage Shiri Bibas.

In a statement, Netanyahu vowed that Hamas would “pay the full price” for what he called a “grave breach” of the prisoner exchange agreement.

Earlier on Friday, the Israeli army claimed that the body it received from Hamas on Thursday does not belong to Bibas, an Israeli hostage who was held in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas said it had handed over the bodies of Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, as well as Oded Lifshitz on Thursday under a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

Hamas said the Israeli captives were killed in indiscriminate airstrikes by Tel Aviv during the 15-month genocide in the enclave.