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Netanyahu with fangs, propagandist inscription: Hamas carries out sickening parade while returning bodies of 4 hostages

BySumanti Sen
Feb 21, 2025 12:06 AM IST

The propaganda-filled parade saw Hamas blaming Israel and the US for the hostages’ deaths.

A sickening parade Hamas carried out while handing over the bodies of four Israeli hostages is being widely condemned. The terror group returned the bodies of little Kfir Bibasm along with his brother, Ariel, who was kidnapped when he was four, their mother, Shiri, 33, and Oded Lifshitz, 84. Kfir, the youngest Israeli hostage, was abducted when he was only nine months old.

Palestinian militants carry one of the coffins on stage before handing over the bodies of four Israeli hostages to the Red Cross in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza on February 20, 2025 (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)(AFP)
Palestinian militants carry one of the coffins on stage before handing over the bodies of four Israeli hostages to the Red Cross in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza on February 20, 2025 (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)(AFP)

The shocking public display by Hamas

The propaganda-filled parade saw Hamas blaming Israel and the US for the hostages’ deaths. Their coffins were displayed on stage in Khan Younis in front of a mural depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a vampire, with blood dripping from his fangs. Next to the coffins were two missiles with English text reading, “They were killed by USA bombs.” A photo of the Bibas family and Lifshitz was also shown in a pool of blood.

TOPSHOT - Armed Palestinian militants stand next to the coffins on stage before handing over the bodies of four Israeli hostages to the Red Cross in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza on February 20, 2025. Hamas handed over on February 20 coffins believed to contain the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including those of the Bibas family who became symbols of the ordeal that has gripped Israel since the Gaza war began. The transfer of the bodies is the first by Hamas since its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war, and is taking place under a fragile ceasefire that has seen living hostages exchanged for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)(AFP)
TOPSHOT - Armed Palestinian militants stand next to the coffins on stage before handing over the bodies of four Israeli hostages to the Red Cross in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza on February 20, 2025. Hamas handed over on February 20 coffins believed to contain the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including those of the Bibas family who became symbols of the ordeal that has gripped Israel since the Gaza war began. The transfer of the bodies is the first by Hamas since its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war, and is taking place under a fragile ceasefire that has seen living hostages exchanged for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)(AFP)

The coffin that carried Shiri was marked with the words, “Arrested on October 7,” Israeli media reported. The bodies of Kfir and Ariel were placed in the wrong coffins too, as per reports, with their names switched.

UN rights chief Volker Turk condemned the shocking public display, saying, “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.”

In a final act of insult, the four coffins were reportedly passed through metal detectors to make sure they were not booby-trapped. “Prior to the military ceremony, the coffins were scanned for explosives,” an IDF spokesperson told New York Post.

Netanyahu has vowed to “settle the score with the vile murderers.” “On this day, we are all united,” he said. “We are all united in unbearable grief.”

He added, “We will bring back all our hostages, destroy the murderers, eliminate Hamas, and together — with God’s help — we will secure our future.”

Read breaking news, latest updates from US, UK, Pakistan and other countries across the world on topics related to politics,crime, and national affairs. along with Operation Sindoor Live Updates
Read breaking news, latest updates from US, UK, Pakistan and other countries across the world on topics related to politics,crime, and national affairs. along with Operation Sindoor Live Updates
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