UN Rights Chief: Parading of Hostage Bodies in Gaza Abhorrent
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by Reuters and Algemeiner Staff
A drone view shows Palestinians and terrorists gathering around Red Cross vehicles on the day Hamas hands over the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages Oded Lifschitz, Shiri Bibas, and her two children Kfir and Ariel Bibas, seized during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack, as part of a ceasefire and hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, Feb. 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stringer
The United Nations rights chief said on Thursday the parading of the bodies of Israeli hostages in Gaza is abhorrent and flies in the face of international law.
Hamas handed over the bodies of four hostages to the Red Cross on Thursday. The coffins had been placed on a stage, with armed Hamas terrorists in black and camouflage uniforms surrounding the area.
The bodies of Israeli infant Kfir Bibas and his 4-year-old brother Ariel, the two youngest captives taken by Hamas in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack, were transported to Israel.
The bodies of the children’s mother Shiri Bibas and a fourth hostage, Oded Lifschitz, were also handed over, under the agreement for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in the Palestinian enclave that was reached last month.
“Under international law, any handover of the remains of deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families,” UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.
During the handover one militant stood beside a poster of a man standing over coffins wrapped in Israeli flags. It read “The Return of the War = The Return of your Prisoners in Coffins.”
On Wednesday the Red Cross called for privacy and dignity for the deceased.
“We must be clear: any degrading treatment during release operations is unacceptable,” the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement.
The Hamas-directed hostage releases since the Jan. 19 ceasefire have been characterized by large public theatrical ceremonies amid the ruins of Gaza and have come under growing criticism, including from the United Nations.
