Israelis hold photographs of Shiri, Kfir and Ariel Bibas at a gathering calling for their release at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, on November 28, 2023. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

(JTA) — This is a developing story. 

A Hamas official has announced that the terror group will return the bodies of four Israeli hostages on Thursday, among them the Bibas family.

Hamas is also due to release six hostages on Saturday, the final captives who are expected to come back alive during the initial phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. They were named as Omer Wenkert, Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen, Tal Shoham, Avera Mengistu and Hisham Al-Sayed.

The return of the bodies of Shiri, Kfir and Ariel Bibas would mark a tragic end to 16 months of activism, protest and prayer on behalf of the family, who more than anyone else became symbols of the Israeli hostages’ plight. Kfir and Ariel’s father, Shiri’s husband Yarden, was also taken hostage and held separately. He was released earlier this month.

An image of Shiri clutching the two boys, then ages 9 months and 4, as they were abducted into Gaza circulated widely after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Since then, their names and pictures, identifiable by the boys’ red hair, have been at the center of global efforts to secure the hostages’ release, have symbolized the atrocities of Oct. 7 and have animated the prayers and hopes of Jews and other advocates worldwide. Images of the family in happier times have spread worldwide.

Since a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023, Kfir and Ariel Bibas have been the only two children held hostage in Gaza. Hamas claimed in November 2023 that Shiri and the two boys had been killed, and Israel said it was investigating the claim but did not confirm it. In the year-plus since, advocates for the hostages have held out hope that the family remained alive.

In recent weeks, Israel has broadcast increasing worry about Shiri, Kfir and Ariel, who are on the list of hostages to be released during the current ceasefire. An Israeli official expressed “grave concerns” for their fate. Concerns rose further after Hamas announced that eight of the 33 hostages due to be released during the first phase of the ceasefire were dead.

On Tuesday, in a prerecorded video, Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya announced the release of the bodies of four hostages on Thursday, “among them the bodies of the Bibas family.” CNN and the Associated Press also reported that Hamas announced the return of the bodies of the Bibas family.

In response, relatives of the Bibases said in a statement that they had not received confirmation of Shiri, Kfir and Ariel’s fate, and asked for privacy.

“In the past few hours, we have been in turmoil following Hamas spokesperson’s announcement about the planned return of our Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir this Thursday as part of the hostages’ remains release phase,” said the statement, made via the Hostages and Families Forum. “We want to make it clear that while we are aware of these reports, we have not yet received any official confirmation regarding this matter. Until we receive definitive confirmation, our journey is not over.”

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that four dead hostages would be released on Thursday followed by six living hostages on Saturday. The bodies of the final four hostages included in the first phase of the agreement will be released the following week. The announcement did not include the hostages’ names.

“Understandings have been reached in the Cairo negotiations according to which six living first-stage hostages will be released on Saturday,” the statement said. “This Thursday, four deceased hostages will be returned to Israel. Pursuant to the agreement, four additional deceased hostages are due to be returned to Israel next week.”

The six living hostages who are set to return alive on Saturday include four men who were abducted on Oct. 7, and two who have been held by Hamas for far longer.

Wenkert, 23, Cohen, 23, and Shem Tov, 22, were all taken hostage from the Nova music festival. Shoham, 39, was taken captive from Kibbutz Beeri along with six other relatives, including his wife and children. His wife, children and other relatives were released during the November 2023 ceasefire. Other family members of his were murdered on Oct. 7.

Mengistu and Al-Sayed entered Gaza by foot in 2014 and 2015, respectively. They have been held there since then.

The remaining eight hostages, who are not expected to come back alive, are the three members of the Bibas family, Itzhak Elgarat, Tsahi Idan, Oded Lifshitz, Ohad Yahalomi and Shlomo Mantzur.

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