The body of an unknown person has been handed over by Hamas alongside the remains of Israel's youngest hostages, adding fresh anguish to a grieving family.

Israeli authorities formally identified the bodies of Kfir Bibas, aged nine months, and his four-year-old brother Ariel, who were returned to Israel yesterday.

However, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) confirmed that a third body, claimed by Hamas to be the children's mother Shiri Bibas, did not match her identity and remains unidentified.

The bodies were among four returned to Israel, with the fourth identified as 83-year-old journalist Oded Lifschitz.

The body of an unknown person has been handed over by Hamas alongside the remains of Israel's youngest hostages, adding fresh anguish to a grieving family

The four coffins were displayed to crowds in Gaza amid propaganda posters before being handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross by armed Hamas fighters.

The bodies were then transferred to the Israeli military inside Gaza, where they were draped in Israeli flags before being driven across the border.

Flag-waving Israelis lined the convoy's route as the remains were brought home.

Thousands gathered in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, to witness the handover ceremony, with many masked and armed fighters filming and cheering.

The UN rights chief Volker Turk condemned the scenes, stating that handovers of remains must comply with international law prohibiting degrading treatment.

According to the IDF's assessment, Ariel and Kfir Bibas were "brutally murdered by terrorists in captivity in November 2023".

The children were abducted from their home in Nir Oz on October 7, alongside their mother Shiri.

Their father, Yarden Bibas, was taken separately after attempting to protect his family.

Kfir was just nine months old at the time of his kidnapping, making him the youngest of the 251 Israelis taken to Gaza by Hamas that day.

The Bibas family became one of the most prominent cases among the hostages due to Kfir's young age.

Yarden Bibas was released by Hamas earlier this month on February 1 as part of a ceasefire deal.

Hamas had previously claimed in November 2023 that Shiri and her children were killed in an Israeli airstrike, though they never presented evidence.

The Israeli military never confirmed these deaths at the time.

The coffins are handed to the Red CrossReuters

"During the identification process, it was determined that the additional body received is not that of Shiri Bibas, and no match was found for any other hostage. This is an anonymous, unidentified body," the Israeli military stated.

The IDF called Hamas's actions "a violation of utmost severity", noting the group was obligated under the agreement to return four deceased hostages.

"We demand that Hamas return Shiri home along with all our hostages," the military stated.

In their statement, the IDF extended "heartfelt condolences to the Bibas family during this incredibly difficult time".

The military affirmed their commitment to "doing everything possible to ensure Shiri and all the hostages are brought home at the earliest opportunity".