Hamas announced this week that it had returned the remains of a slain hostage as part of a “humanitarian gesture.” But the gesture turned out to be a lie. Forensic tests in Israel revealed that the remains were not new at all—they belonged to a hostage whose body had already been returned and buried nearly two years ago. The return was part of a broader manipulation campaign. Under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, Hamas was required to return all slain hostages or information about them within 72 hours of Israel’s October 10 withdrawal. Instead, it returned only 15 out of 28 bodies and used the “return” of previously buried remains to feign compliance.
How Hamas Faked It
According to reports, Hamas operatives staged the “discovery.” They dug a shallow pit, placed remains taken from a nearby building, and called the Red Cross to witness the scene. The event was filmed by an IDF drone, which later confirmed the body belonged to Ofir Tzarfati, already returned to Israel and was buried in December 2023 (Times of Israel, Oct 27–28 2025).
Forensic examiners at Israel’s Abu Kabir Forensic Institute confirmed that the casket contained additional remains of Tzarfati—not any of the 13 hostages still held in Gaza. “The casket Hamas handed over to Israel last night is assessed to contain remains belonging to a hostage whose body was already brought back to Israel for burial,” said Emanuel Fabian (Times of Israel, Oct 28 2025).
Pattern of Blackmail and Delay
Hamas’s deception is not isolated. Israeli intelligence reports that Hamas knows the exact locations of several slain hostages—including IDF Lt. Hadar Goldin and Col. Asaf Hamami—but continues to withhold them. “Hamas violates the deal time after time,” said Alon Nimrodi, father of slain hostage Tamir Nimrodi. “They must be compelled to completely fulfill the first clause — the return of all the hostages.” (Times of Israel, Oct 25 2025). After the fraud was exposed, senior Israeli and U.S. officials held an emergency policy discussion to consider sanctions. Sources told Channel 12 and I24 News that both governments are weighing coordinated responses to Hamas’s ongoing violations. The Jerusalem Post added that Hamas is “using the dead as bargaining chips,” deliberately manipulating the Red Cross and foreign mediators to prolong leverage.
The Bottom Line
Hamas is not fulfilling humanitarian obligations—it is exploiting them. By recycling the remains of a previously buried hostage, Hamas turned grief into theater and used the dead to deceive the world. Its goal is not compassion but control, not peace but propaganda.
