Hearts are breaking as Hamas has released the bodies of four Israeli hostages on Thursday, including the two youngest captives, Kfir Bibas, who was just 9 months old at the time of the abduction and Ariel Bibas, who was only four years old at the time. The hostages were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during the barbaric October 7 terror attack in 2023.

According to NBC News, “Hamas released the bodies of four Israeli hostages Thursday, parading four black caskets on a stage against a backdrop of propaganda slogans and behind white missiles spattered with red paint bearing the phrase ‘they were killed by USA bombs.’” The four caskets sat on a raised platform in front of illustrations of three members of the Bibas family, as 84-year-old Oded Lifshitz.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that while the two bodies were confirmed to be those of Kfir and Ariel Bibas, the body believed to be the children’ s mother, Shiri, was not hers. The IDF demanded that Shiri’s body be returned to home, along with all abductees, noting that “it is a very serious violation by the Hamas terrorist organization” of the agreement to return the four deceased hostages. According to the IDF, the body that was believed to be Shiri’s has not been matched to any other abductee. “It is an anonymous body without identification,” the IDF said.

NBC News reports, “the IDF said that Ariel and Kfir Bibas ‘were brutally murdered in captivity in November 2023, by terrorists,’ the month after the family were taken from their kibbutz, Nir Oz.” The father, Yarden Bibas, 35, was released Feb. 1 under the first phase of the ceasefire deal.

“The handover took place in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, where large crowds gathered and armed Hamas militants in black and camouflage uniforms patrolled the area. The caskets were displayed in front of a large banner that showed a caricature replicating antisemitic tropes of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with vampiric teeth and blood running down his face,” according to NBC News.

Netanyahu shared in a post on X on Thursday, “we bow our heads for the heavy loss of our four hostages.”

“We are all in pain, a pain that is mixed with rage,” he said, adding that he planned to return the remaining hostages, “destroy the murderers and eliminate Hamas.”

Negotiations will continue with the effort to secure the release of the remaining 64 hostages under Hamas captivity. Negotiations will also include discussions of handling post-war Gaza.