The forensics team that identified Shiri Bibas's body confirmed that she did not die in an Israeli airstrike as Hamas had previously claimed.
"We were met with depths of evil and malice that could not be conceived," Dr. Chen Kugel, a leading forensic scientist from the National Center for Forensic Medicine, said on Saturday. "Our examination showed no evidence of injury from the bomb."
"This is a difficult day for us and for all citizens of Israel," he concluded.
Shiri Bibas's body was returned to Israel from Gaza on Friday night. Hamas transferred her remains to the Red Cross, which transferred them to the IDF. The military brought then brought her body to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for confirmatory testing.
The testing team was composed of a variety of specialists, including the DNA laboratory team and the institute's director, Dr. Kugel.
The institute was also responsible for identifying the remains of her children, Kfir and Ariel Bibas.
Their bodies were identified using forensic analysis in an interdepartmental collaboration between the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police.
Initial transfer of wrong body
Initially, Hamas transferred the remains of an anonymous woman's body, the IDF announced Friday morning.
The IDF said that forensic officials carried out several tests on the anonymous woman's body to ensure the result's accuracy, Army Radio reported on Friday, adding that the body was received in "a condition in which it could be clearly verified it does not belong to Shiri Bibas."
"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.