The military wing of Hamas announced on Tuesday afternoon that it intends to return to Israel this evening the body of a hostage that was recently found in a tunnel.
According to the organization’s statement, the body was discovered in one of the tunnels in the Gaza Strip.
A few hours later, Hamas announced that it would not go through with the return of the hostage's body, citing alleged Israeli "violations."
Last night, Hamas was supposed to deliver to Israel the body of one of the 13 fallen hostages still held in captivity. However, an examination at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute revealed that the remains actually belonged to Ofir Tzarfati, whose body had already been recovered from Gaza two years ago.
Following the violation and the exposure that Hamas had staged the discovery, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a security meeting to discuss Israel’s response to the breaches.
In footage recorded by an IDF drone, Hamas terrorists are seen removing a white bag - apparently containing Tzarfati’s remains - from a nearby apartment.
The footage shows the terrorists burying the bag in a pre-dug pit, then summoning representatives of the Red Cross to present the site as if they had “discovered” the body.
According to the drone’s timestamp, the terrorists were seen at 4:07 p.m. removing the bag from the building and covering it with sand. Two minutes later, the burial was completed. Moments afterward, a tractor arrived, scooped up the white bag, and placed it on the ground.
At 4:13 p.m., Red Cross personnel arrived, and the terrorists presented them with the bag. The tractor then placed the mound of sand and remains on the ground as the terrorists pointed out the supposed “location of the body.” They were later seen uncovering the bag again and filming the scene.
IDF soldiers who witnessed the event confirmed that everything occurred before their eyes and was clearly visible in the drone footage.