The Hostages and Missing Families Forum announced Wednesday the "heart-shattering" news of the deaths of three members of the Bibas family—Shiri Bibas, her children Ariel and Kfir—and Oded Lifshitz. Hamas had said it would hand over their bodies on Thursday as part of the ongoing ceasefire deal in Gaza.

"We received the heart-shattering news that Shiri Bibas, her children Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz are no longer with us," the forum said in a statement.

"This news cuts like a knife through our hearts, the families' hearts and the hearts of people all over the world."

While Hamas had claimed the family members were killed in an Israeli airstrike early in the war, Israel has not confirmed the report.

Yarden Bibas, the boys' father and Shiri's husband, was abducted separately on 7 October 2023 and was released from Gaza in a previous hostage-prisoner exchange on 1 February.

The remains of four hostages, including the Bibas family members, are expected to be returned Thursday, though Israeli authorities have not officially identified them.