section_path: Ceasefire and hostage/prisoner exchanges/Seventh Hamas release (20–21 February)
section_name: Seventh Hamas release (20–21 February)
paragraph_text: Seventh Hamas release (20–21 February)
  
  On 18 February, Hamas spokesperson Khalil al-Hayya announced that the bodies of four hostages, including the remaining members of the Bibas family, will be released on 20 February, and six living hostages will be released on 22 February, including Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who were who were captured in 2014 and 2015 respectively after they crossed into Gaza. In exchange, Israel would release 600 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, and all women and those under the age of 19 arrested since October 2024, and will allow rubble-clearing equipment into Gaza. Some of those to be released are serving life sentences for attacks against Israel and others were detained without charges or sentencing.
  
  On 20 February, four coffins said to contain the bodies of Israeli hostages Shiri Bibas and her children (4 years old Ariel and 9 months old Kfir) and 83 years old Oded Lifshitz were handed over by Hamas. The day before the exchange, the Red Cross called for safeguarding the privacy and dignity of those returning: "We must be clear: any degrading treatment during release operations is unacceptable", they said. In the exchange, large crowds gathered as masked Hamas gunmen led a ceremony on a stage with four black-draped coffins with the photos of the victims and inscription on the adult-sized coffins "Date of Arrest"—October 7, 2023, the day they were abducted from their homes, alongside posters in Hebrew and English. One depicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a fanged vampire with the hostages' photos displayed beneath him, while another threatened that renewed war in Gaza would mean more hostages returned in coffins. Alongside the stage was what resembled an improvised weapons exhibition for children and teenagers, where they were allowed to handle firearms and pose for photos and videos.
  
  During the release itself, the Red Cross refused to participate, and it was only after Hamas threatened to withhold the return of the bodies unless the organization took part that a Red Cross representative stepped onto the stage and signed the documents. The United Nations rights chief condemned the ceremony as "abhorrent," stating that it was conducted in violation of international law: "Under international law, any handover of the remains of the deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families".
  
  Israeli forces in Gaza received the bodies of the hostages, placing them in coffins draped with Israeli flags and conducting a brief memorial ceremony. A military rabbi recited the traditional Jewish mourner's prayer, followed by ceremonial gunfire. The coffins were then transported in a convoy across the border into Israel. Along the route, Israelis gathered in southern Israel to pay their respects as the procession made its way to a forensic institute in Tel Aviv, where the bodies are undergoing examination for official identification and determination of the cause of death. Upon the coffins' arrival in Israel, Hamas propaganda materials were discovered inside. Israel reached out to the mediators, urging them to take a strong stance against the desecration of the sanctity of the dead.
  
  Later, Oded Lifshitz's family said that his body was identified. The Abu Kabir Forensic Institute chief said that Lifshitz was killed in captivity more than a year ago. The IDF said that forensic tests revealed that one of four bodies handed over by Hamas was not that of hostage Shiri Bibas nor any other Israeli hostage held by Hamas, adding that it identified Ariel Bibas and Kfir Bibas. It demanded Hamas to handover the body of Shiri Bibas. Mujahideen Brigades and Hamas said that the Bibas children were killed in Israeli airstrikes. Israel said that its forensic evidence indicated that the children were "brutally murdered" in Gaza captivity. Israel did agree with Hamas on the time of death, November 2023. Hamas said that Shiri's remains had been mixed with those of other victims following an Israeli airstrike and said that it will examine allegations over Shiri's remains and asked Israel to return the body of the Palestinian woman. On 21 February, Hamas stated that it had handed over the remains of Shiri Bibas. On 22 February, the Bibas family said that forensic experts identified her body.
  
  Argentine President Javier Milei declared two days of national mourning beginning on 20 February following the return of the bodies, as the Bibas children held Argentine citizenship. Sabrina Ajmechet, President of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies Commission for Human Rights, wrote: "Two Argentinian babies assassinated because of Hamas terrorism. I hope that never again, after this, I have to hear that what happens in Israel and Gaza is not our concern, of all Argentines".
  
  The Arab-Israeli group 'Atidna' condemned Hamas following the deaths of Shiri Bibas and her two children, accusing Hamas of "an act of barbarism that has no justification". The group called on Arab Israeli political leaders to denounce terrorism, emphasizing, "At such a crucial moment, silence is not an option—our duty as leaders and as a society is to speak out clearly and firmly against murder and terror", and it declared its participation in the Bibas family funeral procession by stating, "We will declare in one united voice: No to terror, no to murder, yes to life and humanity.