Hamas released on Thursday the bodies of four Israelis hostages. The group included a mother, her two children, and a woman who had been believed dead for a long time. They were said to represent the agony felt by the nation following the attack that took place in 2023.

Oded Lifshitz was 83 years old when he was kidnapped. Kfir was only 9 months old at the time of his abduction. Hamas claims that all four, along with their guards, were killed in Israeli airstrikes.

In a recent statement, Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated that “our hearts – the hearts of a nation – lie in tatters.” “I ask forgiveness on behalf of the State of Israel. I bow my head. Forgiveness for failing to protect you on that horrible day. “Forgiveness for not getting you home safely.”

In the Gaza Strip, militants placed four black coffins surrounded by banners. One of them depicted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a vampire-like costume. The coffins were loaded into Red Cross vehicles by armed and masked militants in front of thousands of people.

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On the families’ request, the military conducted a small ceremony of funeral before sending the bodies to an Israeli laboratory for formal identification by DNA. This process could take two days. The final notification will only be sent to the families after the small funeral ceremony.

The handover was not broadcast on Israeli channels. Israeli channels did not broadcast the handover.

Israelis celebrated the return of living hostages to their country in recent weeks, under a fragile ceasefire that stopped over 15 months worth of war. The handover of 24 hostages on Thursday served as a reminder to those who perished in captivity during the long-running talks that led up to the ceasefire.

This could also be a catalyst for the negotiations that have just begun on the second phase of the ceasefire. The first phase will end at the start of March.

The youngest hostage is an infant

Kfir Bibas, an infant of 9 months with a toothless grin and a red-headed head, was just 9 month old when militants smashed into the home of his family on October 7, 2023. His brother Ariel, who was 4 years old, was also attacked. Shiri was captured on video that day swaddling his two brothers as militants led the boys into Gaza.

Yarden Bibas was released from captivity this month, after 16 months.

Families in Israel are holding on to hope as they celebrate Kfir’s second and first birthdays, and his brother’s 5th. In a statement released Wednesday, the Bibas family stated that they would wait until “identification procedures” were completed before confirming that their loved one was dead.

In solidarity with this family, supporters in Israel wore orange — a reference the two boys’ red locks — and an uplifting children’s song has been written in their honor.

Oded Lifshitz, like the Bibas family was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz. His wife Yocheved was also abducted, but she was released during a ceasefire lasting a week in November 2023. Oded, a journalist, campaigned to recognize Palestinian rights and promote peace between Arabs & Jews.

In the Oct. 7, attack, Hamas militants took 251 hostages including 30 children. They also killed around 1,200 people, mainly civilians.

In accordance with ceasefire agreements and other deals, more than half of the hostages have been freed, including most women and children. Israeli forces have rescued 8 hostages and recovered dozens bodies of those who were killed during the initial attack, or died in captivity.

It is not known if the ceasefire lasts

Hamas will free six hostages alive on Saturday, in exchange for hundreds Palestinian prisoners. It also says that it will release another four bodies next week to complete the first phase of the ceasefire. The militants will now have 60 hostages – all men – with around half believed to be dead.

Hamas says it will not release any remaining hostages without a permanent ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu, with full support from the Trump administration says he’s committed to destroying Hamas’ military and governance capacities and returning all hostages. These goals are widely seen as being mutually exclusive.

Trump’s proposal that the U.S. take 2 million Palestinians out of Gaza to rebuild and own it has caused the ceasefire to be further questioned. The proposal has been praised by Netanyahu, but rejected by all Arab and Palestinian countries.

Hamas may be reluctant to release more hostages, if they believe that the war will continue with the aim of annihilating Hamas or forcing Gaza’s people out.

Gaza’s Health Ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its records, but Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians. Israel claims to have killed more than 17,000 fighters without providing any evidence.

The offensive devastated vast areas in Gaza, turning entire neighborhoods into fields of rubble with bombed out buildings. The war forced 90% of Gazans to leave their homes at its peak. Many people have returned home to find that their homes are a wreck and there is no way to rebuild.