Netanyahu vows revenge as Hamas sends bodies of youngest 2 hostages

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed revenge on Hamas on Thursday after the group released what it said were the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including the infant Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel, the youngest of those abducted during the October 7, 2023 attack. Palestinian militants handed over four black coffins in a carefully orchestrated public display, with dozens of armed Hamas militants and crowds of Palestinians gathering to watch.

Each of the caskets had a small picture of the hostages.

United Nations rights chief Volker Turk called the parading of bodies in Gaza abhorrent and cruel and said it flew in the face of international law.

Israelis lined the road in the rain near the Gaza border to pay their respects as the convoy carrying the coffins drove by.

Negotiations for a second phase, expected to cover the return of around 60 remaining hostages, less than half of whom are believed to be alive, and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip to allow an end to the war, are expected to begin in the coming days.

Arab leaders to meet in Saudi Arabia today

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has invited the leaders of Gulf Arab countries, Egypt, and Jordan for a meeting in Riyadh on Friday, the Saudi state news agency SPA reported on Thursday. Arab states have pledged to work on a post-war plan for the Gaza Strip’s reconstruction to counter US President Donald Trump’s proposal to redevelop the enclave as an international beach resort after resettling its Palestinian inhabitants elsewhere. Trump has called for Egypt and Jordan to take in Palestinians.