Israeli officials accused Hamas of severely breaching the Gaza ceasefire on Tuesday after the group returned partial remains of an already recovered hostage instead of the body of a different deceased captive, which immediately ignited outrage, threatening the stability of the US-brokered truce which initially came into effect on 10 October. Late Monday, Hamas transferred what it claimed was the sixteenth of twenty-eight hostage bodies it previously agreed to return under the terms of the delicate agreement.
However, Israeli forensic examinations determined that Hamas actually delivered partial remains of a hostage whose body Israel had repatriated almost two years ago. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office immediately confirmed this grave breach, stating it revealed a “clear violation of the agreement”. Identification procedures showed the latest remains belonged to “the fallen hostage Ofir Tzarfati, who had been returned from the Gaza Strip in a military operation about two years ago”.
Therefore, Netanyahu’s office announced the prime minister will now “hold a security discussion with the heads of the security establishment to discuss Israel’s steps in response”.
Official Condemnation and Political Pressure
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum quickly urged the Israeli government to take decisive action against this apparent deception by the militant group. “In light of Hamas’s severe breach of the agreement last night… the Israeli government cannot and must not ignore this, and must act decisively against these violations,” the forum stressed in a strong public statement. Furthermore, they declared, “Hamas knows the location of the hostages and continues to act with contempt, deceiving the United States and mediators while dishonouring our loved ones.”
Consequently, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister accused Hamas of deliberately stalling the return of remaining bodies, arguing the delay proved “the terrorist organisation is still standing.” “It is time to break its legs once and for all,” he added, demanding: “We must demand its very disappearance and destroy it completely.” Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also increased pressure on Netanyahu, demanding swift action against what he called Hamas’s “repeated and ongoing violations”. Smotrich also urged Netanyahu in a post on X to re-arrest all the “terrorists released in the hostage deal to Judea and Samaria,” utilizing the Israeli Biblical term for the occupied West Bank.
Hamas Response and Family’s Agony
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem protested the claim that the group knew the exact location of the remaining missing bodies, labelling it “false” earlier on Monday. Qassem argued that Israel’s intense two-year bombardment had severely damaged Gaza, consequently leaving locations completely unrecognisable and making recovery extremely difficult.
Nevertheless, he affirmed the group’s commitment: “We are intent on handing over the bodies of the Israeli captives as soon as possible,” Qassem promised, following the successful return of all twenty living hostages required by the specific terms of the recent ceasefire agreement.
Since October 2023, Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed at least 68,531 people, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which the UN considers reliable. Even with the current ceasefire in place, the toll unfortunately continues to climb as responders find more bodies under the rubble, and the health ministry also reports that Israeli fire has killed ninety-four Palestinians since the truce took hold.
