The United Nations human rights chief said on Thursday that the parading of the bodies of hostages in Gaza before they were handed over to Israel is abhorrent.
“The parading of bodies in the manner seen this morning is abhorrent and cruel, and flies in the face of international law,” said the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. “We urge that all returns are conducted in privacy, and with respect and care.”
In the statement, UN rights chief Volker Turk added that “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.”
Hamas said that it returned on Thursday the bodies of hostages Shiri Bibas and her two young redheaded boys, Kfir and Ariel, as well as that of Oded Lifshitz, who was kidnapped at age 83.
Lifshitz’s family said Thursday that they received confirmation from Israeli authorities that his remains were returned. Israel has said it is still testing the other three bodies before providing the Bibas family with confirmation.
Before they were handed to the Red Cross, the coffins were placed on a stage, with armed Hamas gunmen wearing black and camouflage uniforms surrounding the area, and cruel psychological propaganda adorning the stage, including plaques on the coffins declaring the dates of their “arrest” and slogans blaming Israel for their deaths.
In a statement about its role in the handover on Thursday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said the operation should have been done “privately” but stopped short of blaming Hamas.
The ICRC, which has itself faced criticism for its position of neutrality, said that it took part in the return of “the remains of those who should have been reunited with their loved ones in life, not in death.”
The Red Cross said its role was “to fulfill a vital humanitarian duty to allow families to mourn with dignity.” The statement added that “these operations should be done privately out of the utmost respect for the deceased and for those left grieving. We have been unequivocal: every release — whether of the living or the deceased — must be conducted with dignity and privacy.”
The day before the handover, the ICRC issued a statement saying that “any degrading treatment during release operations is unacceptable.”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Thursday condemned Hamas’s “limitless terror” after the handover.
“Four coffins, presented on stage — images that are unbearable,” she wrote in a message on X. “Until the very end, the families of the hostages are exposed to Hamas’s limitless terror. My thoughts are with them. Hopefully they are soon able to mourn their loved ones and bury them with dignity.”
Thursday marked the first time that Hamas handed over the bodies of hostages to Israel since the start of the war, which was triggered by the terror group’s murderous rampage through southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Hamas took 251 hostages during the attack, more than 100 of whom were freed in November 2023. Israeli forces have rescued eight hostages and recovered the bodies of 40 of them.
Since the start of the latest ceasefire last month, Hamas has freed 24 hostages in handovers featuring large public ceremonies and terrorist propaganda, forcing the hostages to wave and praise their captors before being freed. Israel has expressed anger over the spectacles and Hamas has also faced international criticism.
Following Thursday’s handover, 66 of the hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF.
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