UN’s Guterres says Hamas handover of Israeli captives’ bodies violated international law
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the “parading of bodies” of Israeli captives by Hamas during a hand-over ceremony on Thursday.
In a post to social media, Guterres said the public display of coffins violated international law.
“I condemn the parading of bodies and displaying of the coffins of the deceased Israeli hostages by Hamas on Thursday,” Guterres said.
“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,” he said.
I condemn the parading of bodies and displaying of the coffins of the deceased Israeli hostages by Hamas on Thursday.
Under international law, any handover of the remains of the deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect…
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) February 21, 2025
Israel’s UN envoy demands Security Council condemn Hamas for allegedly returning wrong body
We have been reporting on Israel’s allegation that Hamas returned the body of an unidentified person on Thursday and falsely claimed it to be that of Israeli captive Shiri Bibas.
Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, said in a statement that Hamas was guilty of treating the body “as if it were a worthless shipment” and demanded the UN Security Council condemn “this heinous crime”.
“Hamas not only murdered Ariel and Kfir Bibas in cold blood – a four-year-old boy and a 10-month-old baby – but continue to violate every basic moral value even after their death,” he said, calling for the immediate return of their mother’s body.
Hamas has not yet responded to the Israeli claims regarding the body of Shiri Bibas. The armed group also said the captives were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza.
A drone view shows members of the Red Cross receiving a coffin as Hamas hands over the remains of Israeli captives on Thursday in Gaza
Palestinian researcher says Hamas should not have paraded bodies of captives
The decision by Hamas to parade bodies of deceased Israeli captives during a handover on Thursday was a mistake by the group, a Palestinian analyst said.
In a long post to social media, Muhammad Shehada, a Palestinian analyst, writer and visiting fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations, said many had pointed out that Israel had returned hundreds of unidentified Palestinian bodies in “garbage bags” piled up in trucks.
“Our principles should NEVER be contingent on the behaviour of our oppressor!” Shehada wrote.
“Pointing out the mistakes of a Palestinian faction does NOT delegitimize our cause or lend credence to Israel’s [and] it most definitely does NOT mean opposing, vilifying or sowing doubt about Palestinians’ legal right to resist their slow demise [and] dispossession, in accordance with international law,” he said.
Every time I criticized today’s Hamas parade & said it’s damaging our cause, many promptly pointed out how Israel returned hundred of unidentifiable bodies of Gazans they murdered, put in garbage bags, piled in a truck & dumbed, & they ask “Why didn’t this damage Israel’s case?… pic.twitter.com/NCdlypiJgF
— Muhammad Shehada (@muhammadshehad2) February 21, 2025
Forensic expert says captive Oded Lifshitz was killed over a year ago
Chen Kugel, the head of Israel’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine, said the body of 83-year-old captive, Oded Lifshitz, has been formally identified and that he died more than a year ago.
Kugel did not offer any more details in the televised statement but said it was a “difficult moment” for all of Israel.
As we previously reported, Israeli authorities have claimed Lifshitz was killed by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group. On Wednesday, the Palestinian group said the captive was killed during Israeli strikes in Gaza.
“We received with sorrow the official and bitter news about the identification of the body of our beloved Oded,” the Lifshitz family said in a statement.
“We hoped and prayed so much for the ending to be different. Now we can mourn the husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather who we have been missing since October 7,” the statement added.
