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.

"The hearts of an entire nation lie in tatters," Israel's President Isaac Herzog has said, as the bodies of four hostages taken alive by Hamas in its attack on 7 October 2023 were returned to Tel Aviv.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog mourned the deaths of four hostages whose bodies were returned on Thursday, believed to include members of the Bibas family, who have become symbols of the ordeal.