The National Center of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv concluded the identification of the body that Hamas returned on Monday night, and it is not one of the 13 deceased hostages that the terrorist organization was obligated to return.
Following the completion of the identification process this morning, it was determined that the remains returned last night belong to Ofir Tzarfati, of blessed memory, whose body was brought back from Gaza in a military operation about two years ago. His family has been notified.
Tzarfati was abducted from the Nova Festival on October 7th, 2023, and murdered. Ofir's body was recovered at the end of November 2023 and brought to burial in Israel. In March 2024, additional remains of Ofir were returned for burial in Israel. Furthermore, in August of that year, Hamas published a photograph of Ofir's body.
"We went to sleep last night with anticipation and hope that another family would close an agonizing two-year circle and bring their loved one home for burial. But once again, deception has been inflicted upon our family as we try to heal. This morning we were shown video footage of our beloved son's remains being removed, buried, and handed over to the Red Cross - an abhorrent manipulation designed to sabotage the deal and abandon the effort to bring all the hostages home," the Tzarfati family stated.
The family added, "This is the third time we have been forced to open Ofir's grave and rebury our son. The circle supposedly 'closed' back in December 2023, but it never truly closes. Since then, we have lived with a wound that constantly reopens, between memory and longing, between bereavement and mission."
"Our Ofir went to Nova to celebrate his birthday and never returned. We ask all the people of Israel not to forget the fallen, not to forget the hostages, and to continue supporting the families until their return and beyond -only then will we have a future. Only then can we continue to live in our country."
The Prime Minister’s Office stated, "This constitutes a clear violation of the agreement by the Hamas terrorist organization. Prime Minister Netanyahu will hold a security discussion with the heads of the security establishment to discuss Israel's steps in response to the violations."
In light of Hamas's severe breach of the agreement last night, and reports of documented evidence showing Hamas has been deceiving and fabricating information during the hostage location process, the families of the hostages demanded an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister.
"Hamas's repeated violations and the IDF's documentation prove what we have known and stated clearly and unequivocally: Hamas knows the location of the hostages and continues to act with contempt, deceiving the United States and mediators while dishonoring our loved ones. The Israeli government cannot and must not ignore this, and must act decisively against these violations," the Hostages Families Forum wrote in a statement.
"We are demanding an urgent and immediate meeting with the Prime Minister today, in which he will present a comprehensive plan to bring our loved ones home - every last one of them. Returning all hostages is the state's obligation and a moral imperative - Hamas cannot be given a pass for violating the agreement. Success in implementing this agreement will be measured solely by the return of every last hostage - the people of Israel will not leave anyone behind and will accept nothing less," it added.
The casket containing the remains crossed into Israeli territory late Monday night, after it was handed over to an IDF and ISA force inside the Gaza Strip. Following a short military with the participation of the IDF Chief Rabbi, it was transferred to the National Center of Forensic Medicine.
The Ministry of Health stated that “the casket arrived for identification and for investigation of the cause and circumstances of death,” adding that “the teams, including forensic doctors and laboratory staff of the National Center of Forensic Medicine, are prepared to provide the fastest possible response, with the utmost sensitivity regarding information shared with the families.”
A Hamas official told Al Jazeera that the body was found on Monday in Gaza City's Tuffah neighborhood, and that it was handed over at 9:00 p.m., approximately two hours before the deadline that US President Donald Trump set for the terrorist organization.
Despite Hamas's claims, IDF soldiers operating in the area say they witnessed terrorists staging the recovery of the body. According to the troops who spoke to Arutz Sheva, the terrorists placed the body in a hole that they had dug, and called the Red Cross as if they had just located it.
Earlier on Monday, Asharq Al-Awsat reported that the Hamas terror group has notified the mediators that they can locate the bodies of 7-9 deceased hostages, who are buried under the rubble in Gaza.
The announcement follows Israeli intelligence indicating that Hamas knows the locations of at least eight deceased hostages and can easily retrieve them, but could potentially have difficulty locating the bodies of up to five hostages.
Israel on Sunday approved activities by Hamas terrorists and Red Cross representatives in IDF-controlled areas of Gaza, beyond the "yellow line" to locate the bodies of deceased hostages.
According to Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera, the search teams include Red Cross representatives and Hamas terrorists, and are already operating in Rafah. Now, these teams are expected to expand their operations to Gaza City as well. In addition, Egyptian teams were also allowed to enter the enclave to search for the hostages.
On Saturday, US President Donald Trump issued Hamas a 48-hour deadline to make progress, warning: "Hamas is going to have to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly, or the other Countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action."
He noted, "Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now, and, for some reason, they are not."
"Perhaps it has to do with their disarming, but when I said, 'Both sides would be treated fairly,' that only applies if they comply with their obligations. Let’s see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely."