A tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been strained by outrage over Hamas’s alleged transfer of an unknown body to Israel in the place of Shiri Bibas, the Israeli mother kidnapped and

Israel says it has identified two of the dead bodies returned by Hamas on Thursday as Ariel and Kfir Bibas – but tests show another body that was expected to be that of their mother Shiri is not hers – and does not match any other Israeli hostage.

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.