Return of Israeli mother's and her sons' bodies is a heartbreaking last act

Today may be the most painful day that Israel has endured since October 7, 2023.

The return of the bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two little boys is the heartbreaking last act in a national tragedy.

After more than 500 days of not knowing, the awful truth was laid out in Gaza this morning.

At the time of their abduction Ariel was aged four and Kfir just nine months.

On a day of grim headlines the kidnapping of a baby represented a new low in an old conflict.

Many of the atrocities committed by Hamas back then were gleefully recorded on body cams or camera phones.

Of course the murders are jaw-droppingly cruel to behold. The end point for so many innocent Israeli lives.

Shiri Bibas and her son. / Credit: Hostages Family Forum

But somehow it’s the pictures of the people being taken hostage that linger in the mind.

Perhaps it’s because we know the images denote not just the end of something – their liberty – but also the beginning of something – a cruel captivity.

Most of us can recall the pleading of Noa Argamani as she’s forced to ride pillion into Gaza.

Somehow she represented all the victims at the Nova music festival, their youthful exuberance replaced by the terror etched on her face.

Perhaps you also remember 85-year-old granny Yaffa Adar?

At the time of his abduction, Ariel was aged 4. / Credit: AP

The stoicism she displayed while being driven off in a golf buggy spoke of determination and resilience. Hamas may have been whooping with joy, but she was giving them nothing.

But for most Israelis the sight of Shiri and her boys being bundled away is indelible because it’s the sum of all fears.

Those pictures told Israel all it needed to know about what Hamas would stoop to.

The horrific footage also confirmed this country’s inability to protect its most vulnerable when all the questions were asked.

Since the war began thousands of children have been killed in Gaza, but Kfir Bibas was the first tiny victim, on day one, a target of Hamas’ opening assault. They were guilty not just of kidnapping, but babynapping.

On February 1, the husband and father, Yarden Bibas, was released by Hamas.

Any relief this country felt at his return was tempered by the dreadful realisation that his is a victimhood that can never end.

Thursday’s handover of the bodies of his wife and children confirmed that fact and this country shares his loss.