US Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed Hamas's murder of slain Israeli hostages Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir of the Bibas family, calling the terror group's actions an illustration of "savagery" in a Sunday X/Twitter post.
This comes after Israel's forensics team identified Shiri Bibas's body and confirmed that she did not die in an Israeli airstrike as Hamas had previously claimed. Shiri's children, Ariel and Kfir, were also identified, and it was confirmed they were murdered after their bodies were returned to Israel on Thursday as part of the ceasefire-hostage deal.
"Hamas’ treatment of hostages, including its brutal murder of the Bibas family, further illustrates their savagery," Rubio wrote in his post.
He added that this was "yet another reason why we are saying these terrorists must release all of the hostages immediately or be destroyed."
Hamas’ treatment of hostages, including its brutal murder of the Bibas family, further illustrates their savagery and is yet another reason why we are saying these terrorists must release all of the hostages immediately or be destroyed.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) February 22, 2025
Rubio previously condemned Hamas's actions regarding the slain hostages' bodies that were returned during an interview with Fox News on Friday.
Condemning Hamas
Rubio told Fox that if a group like Hamas existed on the other side of the US border, "we would wipe them out."
"Just thinking about the fact they went in, grabbed this family, this young woman with her two infant children, and they died in their captivity. Who does that? Who kidnaps families? And they the way that they were released, with people cheering in the streets," Rubio said in the interview.
He also continued that Hamas "is not a government. It is not simply an ideological movement, [but] evil, terrible people."
Rubio added that he was heartbroken for the families [of the returned bodies of hostages] and that while "you can't be happy that remains are returned, it's very important to these families, from a religious standpoint, it's a sacred thing [to be able to bury a body]."
Mathilda Heller contributed to this report.