Tel Aviv, MINA – Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed his condolences and apologized for the deaths of four Israeli hostages whose bodies were returned by Hamas. He expressed deep sorrow, calling the incident a tragedy, heartbreak, and devastation for his nation.
“Agony. Pain. There are no words,” Herzog wrote on the social media platform X.
“Our hearts—the hearts of the entire nation—lie in tatters. On behalf of the State of Israel, I bow my head and ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness for not protecting you on that terrible day. Forgiveness for not bringing you home safely,” he added.
This statement came after Israel received four coffins containing the bodies of Shiri Bibas, her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz, as reported by The Times of Israel on Friday.
Also Read: Al-Qassam Hands over Six Israeli Captives to Red Cross
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not directly commented, but his office expressed condolences. “In this difficult time, our hearts are with the grieving families,” stated the government’s official statement.
The bodies of the four hostages arrived in Israel in a military convoy on Thursday, before being taken to the Abu Kabir National Forensic Institute for identification.
Meanwhile, Hamas stated that it had attempted to keep the hostages alive, but they were killed by Israeli forces under Netanyahu’s orders to continue the war in Gaza.
In its official statement, Hamas said, “We tried to preserve the lives of the occupation’s prisoners, providing them with what we could and treating them humanely. However, the Israeli soldiers killed them along with their captors.”
Also Read: Hamas Affirms Ready to Release All Israeli Captives at Once
Hamas also accused Netanyahu of attempting to avoid responsibility for the deaths of the hostages.
“The criminal Netanyahu today mourns the bodies of his hostages returned in coffins, in a blatant attempt to avoid responsibility for their deaths,” the Hamas statement continued.
Addressing the families of Bibas and Lifshitz, Hamas added, “We would have preferred for your sons to return to you alive, but your soldiers and government leaders chose to kill them instead of bringing them home.”[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
Also Read: Red Cross Confirms Receipt of Shiri Bibas’ Body from Hamas: Israeli Official
Mina Indonesia
Mina Arabic
Mina Sport