Hamas announced on Tuesday that it will return the bodies of four Israeli hostages on Thursday, including the youngest captives, Kfir and Ariel Bibas.
Additionally, the group has decided to release six living hostages on Saturday, double the number initially expected, according to a statement from Khalil Al-Hayya, head of Hamas’ negotiating team.
Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office confirmed on Tuesday that negotiations in Cairo led to an agreement for the release of “four slain hostages” on Thursday and “six living hostages” on Saturday. The office also stated that “four additional slain hostages are expected to be handed over to Israel next week.”
A representative for the Israeli Hostage Families Forum confirmed that all affected families have been informed.
In keeping with previous exchanges, Israel is expected to release Palestinian prisoners.
This latest announcement provides the strongest indication yet that the Bibas children, who were just nine months and four years old when they were abducted in October 2023, have died.
However, Israel has yet to confirm their deaths or respond to Hamas’ claims.
An Egyptian source with knowledge of the negotiations told CNN that talks involving Egyptian, Qatari, Israeli, and American officials had successfully secured the remaining hostages from the first phase of the truce, scheduled for release on Saturday.
Back in November 2023, Hamas claimed that an Israeli airstrike had killed Kfir and Ariel Bibas along with their mother, and the group released a video of their father, Yarden, blaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their deaths.
At the time, an Israeli military spokesperson dismissed the video as “psychological terror.”
However, the military later informed the Bibas family that the children might not have survived, according to a spokesperson for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
On February 1, Hamas released Yarden Bibas alive.
The Bibas family, especially baby Kfir, has become one of the most recognized symbols of the October 7 attacks.
His image, showing a red-haired baby clutching a pink elephant toy with a toothless smile, has been widely displayed on hostage-release posters across Israel and beyond for the past 15 months.
Hamas’ statement came as Israel announced plans to begin negotiations for the second phase of the Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal.
Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, confirmed that discussions could begin “this week” following talks with “our American friends.” He reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to reaching an agreement within 42 days, as outlined in the initial deal, and acknowledged that a more extended truce remains “an option.”
