Israel has accused Hamas of a “cruel and evil” violation of the ceasefire deal by handing over an “anonymous” body instead of Shiri Bibas.

The Palestinian terror group on Thursday claimed to have handed over the remains of four hostages, including Ms Bibas and her infant son Kfir and his 4-year-old brother, Ariel.

But the Israel Defence Forces said last night that it received an “anonymous body without identification” instead of the mother and called it a “violation of utmost severity”.

The military also claimed that Kfir and Ariel had been “brutally murdered” while in captivity and not killed in an Israeli air strike, which is what was originally claimed by Hamas in late 2023.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said on Friday morning : “We will act with determination to bring Shiri home along with all our hostages - both living and dead - and ensure Hamas pays the full price for this cruel and evil violation of the agreement.

A fourth body belonged to elderly hostage Oded Lifshitz, a veteran journalist and long-time defender of Palestinian rights.

The repatriation of the bodies was part of the six-week initial phase of the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas, which has so far led to the release of 19 living Israeli hostages in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinian prisoners.