‘Cruel Games’: Hamas Returns Remains of Hostage Body Previously Recovered by IDF

Latest Developments

Casket Contained Remains of Previously Recovered Hostage: Hamas handed over a casket to Israel on October 27 containing the remains of Ofir Tzarfati, who was kidnapped at the Nova music festival during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, atrocities and subsequently murdered. However, the IDF had already recovered Tzarfati’s body in December 2023, meaning the return of more of his remains did not represent the return of one of the 13 slain hostages still held by Hamas. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum lambasted Hamas’s “cruel games,” asserting the terrorist organization will “stop at nothing to torture the families and sabotage the [ceasefire] deal.”
Hamas Staging False Recoveries for Red Cross: An Israeli reconnaissance drone in Gaza captured Hamas terrorists staging the recovery of a slain hostage before presenting the body to Red Cross representatives on the ground. In the video, a body bag is brought from a nearby building to a previously dug hole in the ground before being covered in dirt. The terrorists can then be seen digging up the hostage’s remains as Red Cross workers watch. “This footage clearly shows that the Hamas terrorist organization is attempting to create a false impression of efforts to locate the bodies, while in fact holding deceased hostages whose remains it refuses to release as required by the agreement,” an IDF statement on the incident read.
Hamas Says It Will Return Hostage Body: Hamas announced that it would turn over the remains of one of the 13 slain hostages it still holds captive later on October 28. The Hamas-aligned Shehab news outlet published footage shortly after the announcement of Hamas terrorists allegedly searching through an underground tunnel in Khan Younis to locate the remains.

FDD Expert Response

“Several scenarios may explain Hamas’s deliberate delay in returning the remains of deceased hostages. One such scenario is that the organization likely anticipates a potential impasse in the ceasefire negotiations, particularly surrounding the question of disarmament, which Hamas has repeatedly signaled it will not accept. By slowing the process, Hamas seeks to preserve leverage should negotiations collapse, maintaining possession of the hostages’ remains as a valuable bargaining chip.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“Sadly, Hamas has turned the Red Cross into an integral player in the terror organization’s pageantry toolkit. By continuing to enable Hamas’s gruesome antics, including the staging of fake hostage recoveries, the Red Cross has further compromised its integrity and legacy.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network