The Abu Kabir Forensic Institute confirmed overnight Friday that it had identified the body of Shiri Bibas, who was murdered while in Hamas captivity.
The confirmation came after the Israel Defense Forces received a coffin from the Red Cross, which had been transferred by Hamas.
The identification followed intensive forensic examinations by experts at the institute.
“Our Shiri has been brought home tonight,” the Bibas family said in a statement. “This morning, we received the news we feared – our Shiri was murdered in captivity and has now returned home to her children, her husband, her sister, and all her family for her final rest. Despite our fears for their fate, we continued to hope we would embrace them again, and now we are devastated and broken.
“For 16 months, we sought certainty, and now that it has come, there is no comfort in it. Yet we hope this marks the beginning of closure,” the family added. “Shiri was a wonderful mother to Ariel and Kfir, a loving partner to Yarden, a devoted sister and aunt, and an amazing friend.”
The family also called for the immediate return of all remaining hostages. “In this painful moment, we continue to demand and call for the immediate return of all those still held in captivity. There is no goal more important than this. There will be no recovery without them.”
