Israel has accused Hamas of staging the discovery of a dead hostage and continue stalling the delivery of all remains as part of the ceasefire agreement.
Concretely, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said members of the group hid body parts of slain hostage Ofir Tzarfati and then dug them out, pretending to discover them. He called the development a "clear violation" of the agreement, which demands Hamas to deliver all remaining bodies as soon as possible.
Netanyahu went on to say he will meet with military leaders in an emergency meeting to weigh Israel's response, which, according to local outlets, include halting the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza, extending control of the enclave or target Hamas leaders with airstrikes.
There are still 13 bodies of deceased hostages in Gaza, and their slow delivery is appearing to hamper next stages of the ceasefire agreement. Israel claims Hamas knows the location of several bodies and is deliberately stalling, while the militant group, considered a terrorist organization by the U.S., says it doesn't and lacks machinery to search for them.
The family of Ofir Tzarfati reacted to the news, noting that it is the third time they were "force to open Ofir's grave and rebury our son." He was abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, where almost 400 people were killed. He was taken to Gaza and killed in captivity. Parts of his body were retrieved by the Israeli military in November 2023, and his family received additional remains in March 2024.
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