Hamas Hands Over New Body They're Claiming Is Actually Shiri Bibas

Written By Guest User

Plus: Associated Press ban and Elon Musk's chainsaw gimmick

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Good afternoon,

Before we get to the news, here’s a taste of what’s ahead for all of us this weekend from our weekly ‘Cheers to the Freakin’ Weekend’ section:

What We’re Watching:

What We’re Reading:

What We’re Eating:

TGIF!

The Mo News Team

🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

Israel Reveals Bibas Kids' Cause Of Death, Hamas Admits To Sending Wrong Body

Breaking News: Israeli and Hamas officials confirmed that Hamas’s military wing has handed over a new body to the Red Cross, which they claim to be the remains of Shiri Bibas. The body will still need to be properly identified by forensic analysts.

The day before, Israeli forensic tests revealed that Hamas transferred the wrong remains during the most recent hostage-for-prisoner exchange. Hamas says they will “examine” how that happened, and has asked for that original body back, which is suspected to be a Palestinian woman.

Israelis were outraged by the Hamas move. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is vowing revenge, arguing that the “cruelty of the Hamas monsters knows no bounds.”

  • On Thursday, Hamas handed-over four bodies to Israel. The other three were positively identified as 10-month-old Kfir Bibas, 4-year-old Ariel Bibas, and 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz.

The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that intelligence and forensic evidence also revealed that the Bibas children were "murdered in cold blood" by terrorists in Gaza no later than November 2023 – the month after they were kidnapped from their home near the Israeli border. They were the youngest hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, along with their parents, Shiri and Yarden.

COLD-BLOODED MURDER
An IDF spokesman confirmed the children were brutally murdered by strangulation, and that Hamas attempted to cover it up. This contradicts Hamas's claim that the boys and their mother died in an Israeli airstrike, for which the group has provided no evidence.

  • According to the Israeli government, the boys’ father, recently released hostage Yarden Bibas, wanted the world to know the horrific manner of his children's deaths.

WHAT’S NEXT
Despite the devastating developments, six living hostages — the final set in the first phase of the ceasefire — are set to be released tomorrow in exchange for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners. The Israeli government is under immense pressure from the Israeli public to get as many hostages home alive as possible, even with some of Hamas’s recent violations of the ceasefire.

  • The ceasefire is set to end March 2 if the two sides cannot reach a deal for a second phase — which would include the release of the remaining 59 hostages, about half of whom are believed to be alive.

    • U.S. Special Mideast Envoy Steve Witkoff has said negotiations for phase two of the ceasefire have proven “more difficult,” but he’s optimistic a deal is possible.

📰 ONE THING ABOUT THE MEDIA, BY THE MEDIA

Media Shakeups: News Outlets Urge White House To Drop AP Ban + Pentagon Musical Chairs

There is a battle over who can and cannot access key players in the Trump administration.

Dozens of news organizations have urged the Trump administration to reverse its ban on Associated Press (AP) journalists from official events, citing concerns over press freedom outlined in the First Amendment. 

INSIDE THE AP DEBATE
Since Feb. 11, AP reporters have been barred from White House events, including Oval Office signings, press briefings, and Air Force One trips. The White House says the ban is due to AP’s refusal to use “Gulf of America” instead of “Gulf of Mexico” as mandated by a Jan. 20 executive order –  though the order only applies to use within the U.S. government.

  • AP said on Jan. 23 that it would continue using “Gulf of Mexico,” while noting Trump’s renaming order, citing the name’s 400-year history and the fact that the order holds no authority outside the U.S. The rest of the world still call the international body of water the Gulf of Mexico, and the AP noted that it is an international media organization. The news outlet did follow Trump’s renaming of the mountain range Denali in Alaska back to Mount McKinley since it completely falls within US border.

  • Conservative outlets like Fox News and Newsmax joined organizations like The New York Times and NBC in calling for AP’s reinstatement. A Newsmax spokesman said, “We can understand President Trump’s frustration because the media has often been unfair to him, but Newsmax still supports The A.P.’s right, as a private organization, to use the language it wants to use in its reporting.”

A Monday letter, coordinated by the White House Correspondents’ Association and signed by 40 outlets, called the ban “an escalation of a dispute that does not serve the presidency or the public.” The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press also released a letter it sent to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles on Monday, signed by more than 30 news outlets, stating that “conditioning pool access to White House events on the editorial decisions of any news organization violates First Amendment principles.”

NOT JUST THE WHITE HOUSE
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has removed several major news outlets from their dedicated Pentagon workstations under what is being framed as a new “rotation program.”

  • CNN, The Washington Post, The Hill, and War Zone were told to vacate their spaces to make way for more conservative and Trump-friendly outlets including Newsmax, The Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, as well as The Free Press.

    • It follows NBC News, The New York Times, National Public Radio and Politico being told earlier in February that they must vacate their dedicated workspaces. The New York Post, Breitbart News Network, and HuffPost are taking their places.

  • 🚨 Some of the outlets given the boot published investigative pieces on allegations of sexual assault, alcohol abuse, and financial mismanagement by Hegseth during his confirmation process.

A Pentagon official stated that the changes "will ensure that other outlets will enjoy the same opportunity to cover our nation's finest up close."

What this means: Displaced outlets will face slower story turnaround and reduced access to officials — making it more difficult to gather important information for its audiences. It is most challenging for TV networks like NBC and CNN to report breaking news, as they have been forced to give up their studios inside the Pentagon.

🔍 ONE THING WE’RE WATCHING THIS WEEKEND

Germany’s Elections: How Will The Far-Right AfD Party Fare?

In case it comes up at a dinner party this weekend (big if!), Germany holds its general election this Sunday. It could have a significant impact on the world’s third-largest economy.

  • Far Right’s Rise: Once a political outsider, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is now polling in second, at 20%, doubling its support from 2021.

    • The far right party opposes immigration, calls for large-scale deportations, wants to loosen ties with the EU, and wants to lift sanctions on Russia.

      • Immigration is a top issue for voters in the wake of rising terror attacks and high crime rates among noncitizens. Since 2022, more than 2 million refugees settled in Germany due to its more welcoming border policies. It has put strains on German society.

    • Meanwhile, Germany’s intelligence agency is investigating AfD for right-wing extremism, based on its policy proposals and some leaders’ rhetoric.

Reality Check: No party is likely to win an outright majority, and Germany’s government will be built on coalitions. All other major parties, including the leading Christian Democrats (center-right), have sworn-off working with AfD.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Los Angeles mayor removes fire chief in wake of massive wildfires (ABC)

📌 Trump administration to replace acting ICE director (WSJ)

📌 Senate adopts $340 billion budget blueprint for Trump's agenda (NBC)

📌 Judge adjourns case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, stops short of dismissing the charges (FOX)

📌 Luigi Mangione set to appear in court in New York state case today (ABC) Fans pack NYC court ahead of hearing (NY POST)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Supreme Court deals a severe blow to Holocaust survivors’ lawsuit against Hungary (AP)

📌 U.S. envoy praises Zelenskyy after Trump’s censure of the Ukrainian leader (AP)

📌 Pope Francis ‘not out of danger yet,’ will stay in hospital at least another week (CBS)

📌 Russia could concede $300 billion in frozen assets as part of Ukraine war settlement (US NEWS)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Odds of recently discovered asteroid hitting Earth drop nearly to zero (SPACE)

📌 U.S. consumer sentiment plunges over tariff and inflation fears (CNN)

📌 Shortage of popular drugs Wegovy and Ozempic is over, FDA says (USA TODAY)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Jenny Slate filed ‘It Ends With Us’ complaint over producer’s comments about motherhood (YAHOO)

📌 Diddy lawyer quits amid federal sex crimes charges (USA TODAY)

📌 Steve Martin blames ‘SNL 50th COVID curse’ after Martin Short and Maya Rudolph test positive (NBC)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… Elon Musk, at the Conservative Political Action Conference Thursday, was gifted a chainsaw by Argentine President Javier Milei with “Viva la libertad, carajo” (translation: “Long live liberty, damn it”) engraved in it.

Musk went on to wave it in the air, saying, "This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy."

Guest User
Next

Israel Vows Revenge As Hamas Hands Over Bodies Of Child Hostages