Newly released drone footage from Gaza City shows Hamas terrorists staging the return of the remains of slain Israeli hostage Ofir Tzarfati, Israeli officials said Tuesday. The video, recorded Monday afternoon, captures the terrorists placing a white bag containing what appeared to be Tzarfati’s remains in a pit, covering it with sand, and summoning Red Cross representatives within minutes.
According to the footage, at 4:07 p.m., based on the drone’s timestamp, several Hamas terrorists are seen taking a white bag from a building and placing it in a large pit that had already been dug at the site. They then pile sand over the bag and move away. Two minutes later, a tractor arrives, scoops up the sand and bag with its shovel, and positions it nearby.
The drone footage
At 4:13 p.m., representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross are brought to the location. The tractor lowers the sand and the bag to the ground, and the Hamas terrorists present it to the Red Cross team. After several minutes, the Red Cross personnel step back as the terrorists uncover the bag once again, filming the area and the scene around it.
Israeli officials described the event as a cynical display and a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Under the deal, Hamas is obligated to return all hostages — both living and slain — held in Gaza.
In recent days, Hamas has claimed it does not know the locations of all the hostages’ bodies or remains. However, Israeli officials said the newly released footage contradicts that claim, showing the group not only knew where Tzarfati’s remains were but also staged an orchestrated performance before handing them over.
“The fact that there is full documentation of what they did helps build legitimacy,” an Israeli official told Ynet. “We gave them a chance, and they deceived us.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened senior security and diplomatic officials to discuss Hamas’ violation of the agreement and possible responses against the terror organization. According to Israeli sources, three main options are being considered: reducing humanitarian aid to Gaza — a move Washington may oppose; seizing additional areas in the Strip and placing them under direct IDF control beyond the current line — a proposal that may be acceptable to the Americans; or resuming fire — an option that could risk collapsing the entire ceasefire framework.
“The lie here is blatant and cannot be ignored,” the Israeli official said. “Hamas violated the agreement from the very beginning. They were required to return all the slain hostages within 72 hours and instead returned them gradually, in drips. We exercised restraint and acted wisely to build legitimacy.”
The official added that Israel has intelligence indicating Hamas is preparing for the entry of foreign journalists into Gaza and is planning another propaganda campaign involving civilians. “We discovered that Hamas is organizing women and children for a campaign similar to the so-called starvation campaign,” the official said. “They even held auditions for people to act, and there are individuals walking around with fake casts.”
Tzarfati, who was killed during the October 7 Hamas attacks, is not among the 13 slain hostages whose remains are still held in Gaza. Parts of his body were returned to Israel in late 2023, and additional remains were recovered in 2024.
Israeli officials said the newly released documentation reinforces Israel’s position that Hamas has deliberately violated both the spirit and letter of the current ceasefire agreement while continuing to manipulate international humanitarian mechanisms for its own political purposes.