An Israeli group campaigning for the release of hostages held in Gaza has said it had received the “heart-shattering” news of the deaths of three members of the Bibas family whose bodies Hamas said it would hand over today, AFP reports.

“We received the heart-shattering news that Shiri Bibas, her children Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz are no longer with us,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement yesterday, also naming the fourth hostage declared dead.

“This news cuts like a knife through our hearts, the families’ hearts and the hearts of people all over the world.”