Hamas originally claimed in November 2023 the three members of the Bibas family had been killed in an Israeli air strike, without providing evidence. The BBC hasn't been able to independently verify this. Israel says it will not confirm their deaths before forensic testing.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Hamas on Thursday released the bodies of four Israeli hostages, said to include a mother and her two children who have long been feared dead and had come to embody the nation’s agony following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.