February 20, 2025 - October 7 War, Day 503 - 69 Hostages remain in captivity
“Agony. Pain. There are no words.
“Our hearts — the hearts of an entire nation — lie in tatters.
“On behalf of the State of Israel, I bow my head and ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness for not protecting you on that terrible day. Forgiveness for not bringing you home safely.
“May their memory be a blessing."
- Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, earlier today
Israel has experienced a highly traumatic day with the return of the bodies of four of the hostages, including, it seems, the two young Bibas boys and their mother. This follows an extremely difficult week that saw the marking of 500 days in captivity for the hostages still held by Hamas. See our statement here.
See here for our statement on the 500 days of war.
Click here for today's leadership message.
Hostage Bodies
- Today is an extremely difficult and emotional day in Israel, and across the Jewish world, marked by deep sadness and grief.
- Four bodies of hostages have been returned to Israel by Hamas. The identity of one of the four, that of Oded Lifshitz, has been formally confirmed using forensic evidence. Oded was 84 years old and had been a life-long peace activist, frequently volunteering to bring sick Gazans to hospitals in Israel.
- The other three bodies are believed to be those of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir. The Bibas boys, Ariel, 4 years old, and Kfir, just 9 months old, when they were kidnapped, had become a global symbol of the hostages. With their distinctive red hair, their faces became known across the world, particularly through heart-wrenching footage of their terrified faces as they were taken captive. The family’s father, Yarden, was released by Hamas two weeks ago. At the time of this writing, the extended family is awaiting forensic confirmation that the bodies returned are indeed those of the mother and her two young sons. Shiri’s parents, Margit Shnaider Silberman, 63, and her husband Yosef José Luis (Yossi) Silberman, 67, (also life-long peace activists) were killed at their Nir Oz home on October 7. They are now survived only by their daughter, Dana.
- Despite Israeli and internationals pleas for a respectful hand-over, earlier today, Hamas held a ceremony steeped in propaganda where the four bodies were transferred to the Red Cross. Each of the four coffins had a photo of the person whose body was believed to be inside, alongside a sign for the two adults with wording proclaiming their “date of arrest.”
- On the stage, a large poster portrayed Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a vampire above pictures of the four hostages; the poster denounced Israel and blamed it for the deaths of the four.
- Hundreds of Gazans flocked to the ceremony, many bringing their own children, who watched as music blared.
- The Red Cross handed the bodies over to the IDF, which draped the coffins in Israeli flags, and held a short ceremony, including the reciting of Psalm 83 by the IDF Chief Rabbi, which opens with the words:
O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still.
See how your enemies are astir, how your foes rear their heads.
With cunning, they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish.
"Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more."
- From there, the coffins were taken for forensic confirmations. En-route, thousands of Israeli silently lined the streets, holding flags and paying their respects.
- Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that the parading of bodies in Gaza is abhorrent and flies in the face of international law, “Under international law, any handover of the remains of deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families.”
- Prime Minister Netanyahu stated, “On this day we are all united. We are all united in unbearable grief. We all ache with pain that is mixed with rage. We are all furious at the monsters of Hamas.” He added that Israel must “settle the score with the vile murderers — and we will settle the score. We will bring back all our hostages, destroy the murderers, eliminate Hamas, and together — with God’s help — we will secure our future.” Watch video here.
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