Trouble Development After A Hostage Handover

Hamas handed over yesterday what it said were the remains of four Israelis abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Among them were Shiri Bibas and her two young children, Ariel and Kfir, the militant group said. Early this morning, however, the Israeli military said that genetic testing had revealed that the body that was purported to be Shiri Bibas’s was not, and that it, in fact, wasn’t that of any hostage. This was a “violation of the utmost severity” of the ongoing cease-fire, a military spokesperson said. The claim has thrown the truce’s next steps into doubt, even as Hamas is expected tomorrow to free the last six living hostages covered in the first phase of the cease-fire, in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners. ‘Abhorrent and cruel’: In the handover, four coffins were placed on a stage in front of a cartoonish picture of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, as triumphant music played. A poster threatened that if Israel resumed the war, more hostages would return in coffins. Tel Aviv: Three buses exploded in parking lots last night, raising suspicions of a coordinated terrorist attack. Netanyahu’s office said that he had instructed the military to carry out “a massive operation” in the West Bank targeting militant hubs. Saudi Arabia: The kingdom is hosting U.S., Russian and Arab officials for high-stakes talks on Ukraine and Gaza, more proof of its regional clout and warm relations with President Trump.