Israel At War Thursday Feb 20

 Israel at war day 503

Body not of Shiri Bibas: 

Update:  The additional body received is NOT that of Shiri Bibas, and no match was found for any other abductee. This is an anonymous body without identification.Ariel and Kfir Bibas have been identified. 

- IDF confirms return of Ariel and Kfir Bibas, states Shiri Bibas not returned

The IDF confirmed on Friday morning that the hostage remains released on Thursday belonged to Ariel and Kfir Bibas.

However, the third body "was not that of Shiri Bibs, and no match was found for any other abductee. It is an anonymous body without identification," the military stated.

"This is a very serious violation by the Hamas terrorist organization, which is required by the agreement to return four dead hostages. We demand that Hamas return Shiri home along with all our hostages," the military added.

- Defense minister Yisrael Katz:

"In light of the serious terrorist attacks attempted in the Dan Bloc by Palestinian terrorist organizations against the civilian population in Israel, I have instructed the IDF to increase the intensity of activities to thwart terrorism in the Tulkarm refugee camp and in the refugee camps in Judea and Samaria in general. We will pursue the terrorists to the bitter end and destroy the terrorist infrastructure in the camps that serve as a frontline for the Iranian axis of evil.

Residents who provide shelter and protection to terrorism will pay a heavy price."

- Nissim as bombs go off prematurely on empty buses,was supposed to go off in the morning 

According to preliminary reports, the bombs were supposed to go off tomorrow morning when the buses were filled with people. The police are treating this as a terrorist attack. 

A female passenger reported a suspicious object to the bus driver, who drove to the parking lot and dropped off all the passengers, and then it exploded.

- Tel Aviv Police District Commander: There are five IEDs so far. Three exploded; two are in police custody. These were IEDs that came from Judea and Samaria and had an analog timer that malfunctioned

- The most difficult question: How is a squad organized that places loads on five buses in a coordinated manner - and this is only revealed because the stopwatch was analog and broke?

- Bat Yam explosions: According to the information in the security establishment's possession, the bombs were supposed to explode this morning. The bombs were planted by a terrorist infrastructure from Judea and Samaria. 

- Drivers of all buses across the country are now being asked to stop and conduct a thorough inspection. Two more bombs were discovered on other buses. A mega-attack was planned.

- Three Blasts Rock Bat Yam: Suspected Terror Attack Targets Empty Buses: Several explosions struck Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, targeting two empty buses, B"H with no passengers on board. Israeli authorities are treating the incident as a suspected terror attack, with police and Shin Bet forces conducting searches for suspects.

- Envoy Witkoff: “The second phase will be more difficult, but ultimately, if we work hard, there is a chance of success. The release of the hostages should happen, but the difficulty in the next phase is that it should end the fighting, and from the Israeli perspective, there is a red line that Hamas will not remain in power. It will be difficult to square the circle, but we will continue to move forward in the talks."

- Inside the coffins of the Israeli hostages, propaganda materials from Hamas were found; Hams exploited the event most cynically and shockingly possible.

- Oded Lipshitz was held in Khan Yunis alongside other hostages who testified that his captors beat him and were confused. After feeling unwell, he was taken from the apartment, and there has been no further sign of life from him since. His body was returned to Israel today

- The Head of the Israeli Institute of Forensic Medicine will hold a press conference at 7:00 PM Israel time.

- Argentinian President Javier Milei has declared a national day of mourning in honor of the Bibas brothers, Ariel and Kfir, who tragically were murdered by Hamas. The Bibas brothers held dual Israeli-Argentine citizenship through their father, Yarden Bibas.

- Trump: "WIPE THEM OUT"  After watching the scenes of Hamas returning the bodies of the Bibas family today, Trump told one of his advisers that he wants to see Gaza "wiped out." according to ch 14

- The body of the Israeli hostage Oded Lipshitz has been identified.

- UN Human Rights Commissioner calling out Hams Terrorist Organization's "Ceremony" today:  “Cruel, heinous, and violating International law.”

 - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

"My brothers and sisters, dear citizens of Israel. On this day, we are all united. We are all united in unbearable grief. Every home in Israel bows its head today. We bow our heads for the heavy loss of our four hostages. We all ache with pain that is mixed with rage. We are all enraged at the monsters of Hamas. The four coffins of our loved ones oblige us more than ever to promise, to swear, that what happened on October 7 will never happen again.  The voice of the blood of our loved ones cries out to us from the ground. It obliges us to come to terms with the vile murderers - and we will come to terms with them. "To the vengeance of God, to the vengeance of the Lord."

Our hearts are broken, but our spirits are not broken.  And with this spirit: We will return all our hostages, destroy the murderers, eliminate Hamas, and together - with God's help - we will secure our future."

- I’ve noticed a lot of high-profile people who’ve spent the last 16 months endlessly posting about the (appalling) deaths of so many innocent Palestinian women and children, remaining silent about Hamas kidnapping, killing and now humiliating the Bibas family. Shame on them (Piers morgan)

-Israel mourns as bodies of slain hostages enter Israeli territory

-Bodies of four slain hostages brought to Israel, 503 days after they were taken alive.

-Caskets said by Hamas to be holding bodies of Shiri Bibas, her two young sons Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz handed over to Red Cross in propaganda-filled ceremony in south Gaza

 after Hamas held a flamboyant and cynical ceremony surrounding their return. The coffins were handed over to the IDF and Shin Bet forces and are being transferred to the Forensic Medicine Institute for identification

- There are currently 69 hostages held in Gaza, 36 have been declared dead.

- Hearts of an entire nation lie in tatters’: Politicians mourn slain hostages Israeli politicians mourned in statements on Thursday the slain hostages Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas, and Oded Lifshitz, whose bodies were returned by Hamas to Israel as part of the ongoing hostage-prisoner swap.

”Agony. Pain. There are no words. Our hearts — the hearts of an entire nation — lie in tatters,” President Isaac Herzog wrote “On behalf of the State of Israel, I bow my head and ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness for not protecting you on that terrible day. Forgiveness for not bringing you home safely. May their memory be a blessing,” Herzog wrote

- Israelis, silent and with national flags, line the roads as vehicles pass en route to Abu Kabir institute for ID process 

- IDF held brief ceremony in Gaza after Red Cross brought coffins from Hamas propaganda handover event

 The Chief Rabbi of the IDF  was present when the bodies were transfered recited kapital 83 in Tehillim, the kaddish and Yizkor will be said layer.

- The four coffins were X-rayed for security purposes. Afterward, they were checked for explosives and that all the locks on the coffins could be opened so there would be no delay at the Institute of Forensic Medicine. Hams didn't provide keys; they had to break the locks