As Israel mourns slain hostages, Hamas threatens to murder remaining captives if Israel returns to war

Israel is mourning with two families today, as it receives the remains of four slain hostages who were taken into Gaza during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

The bodies of Shiri Bibas (32), Ariel Bibas (4), and Kfir Bibas (9 months) were returned alongside longtime peace activist Oded Lifshitz (84). The ages listed reflect how old they were at the time of their kidnapping from their homes in Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Despite calls to refrain from a cynical spectacle, Hamas once again accompanied the release of the hostage bodies with an orchestrated ceremony including taunts and provocative slogans, which, this time, included a threat to murder the hostages remaining in captivity.

Israel’s hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas began in January with the first release of Israeli hostages taking place on Jan. 19.

During every round of releases, the terrorist group set up stages with large banners, gave the hostages lanyards and "gift bags," and has continued to escalate its propaganda efforts with each release—even providing hostages with gift bags and release certificates for their loved ones who were previously freed in November 2023.

Each time, Hamas has selected a new location for the release ceremony, always featuring a built stage adorned with large banners displaying propaganda messages.

The soon-to-be-released hostages have been made to walk through large crowds of civilians and Hamas operatives, and wave to them - even being forced to thank their captors as they're paraded across the stage.

With the release of the bodies of the four slain hostages today, the scene wasn’t any different.

Hamas built a stage east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip as they prepared for a representative from the Red Cross to sign papers and officially receive the bodies into their custody.

A giant banner hung across the stage, featuring a caricature of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu depicted as a bloodthirsty vampire. On his suit jacket was a photo of the released hostages, encircled in red to resemble a pool of blood flowing from Netanyahu’s mouth.

Accompanying the image was the inscription in Arabic, English, and mistake-ridden Hebrew: "War criminal Netanyahu & his Nazi army killed them with missiles from Zionist warplanes."

Another banner bore the inscription "The return of the war = the return of your prisoners in coffins," threatening the murder of the remaining hostages if Israel decides to return to war.

"Zionism Nazism in numbers" was also written on one of the placards, along with alleged statistics of the destruction and killing wrought by Israel in Gaza.

Two missiles adorned the stage next to the coffins declaring, “They were killed by USA bombs.”

Israeli media has decided against showing any footage of videos or photos from the Hamas led release spectacle in Gaza.

This also holds true for the times Hamas has released propaganda videos in the past, and especially as of late, when the hostages have been forced to speak out against the Israeli government, usually targeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition.

When the family agreed, the videos or still photos with parts of the message have been released to the public, such as in the case of Liri Albag before she was released by Hamas.