Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced Tuesday that Hamas, which does not belong to any of the 13 hostages missing in the enclave, is in “clear violation” of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
Meanwhile, Hamas accused Israel of obstructing the search for the remaining hostages who died in the Gaza Strip.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Israel identified the body removed by Hamas on Monday night as that of hostage Ofir Tsarfati, whose body had already been recovered nearly two years ago.
“This is a clear violation of the agreement by the terrorist organization Hamas,” the PMO said in a statement.
Zarfati’s body was recovered during an Israeli military operation in Gaza in November 2023. Mr Tsarfati’s family has now been informed that additional remains have been returned. Zarfati was abducted from the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to hold security talks later on Tuesday to discuss Israel’s response to the alleged violations.
Israeli officials told CNN that among the options being considered are expanding Israel’s line of withdrawal in Gaza, the so-called Yellow Line, and reoccupying additional territory, or retaking the Netzarim corridor across Gaza.
Another Israeli source told CNN that any response would be coordinated with the US, adding that Israel was also considering restricting the flow of humanitarian aid, but that the US opposed such measures.
Later on Tuesday, the Hamas militant group announced in a statement that it would hand over the bodies of the hostages at 8pm local time (2pm ET). Al-Qassam Brigades did not reveal the identity of the hostages, but said the bodies were “recently discovered inside one of the tunnels in the Gaza Strip.”
One of the bodies previously exchanged was later determined to be not a hostage but a Palestinian from the Gaza Strip, but Hamas claimed it had not intentionally sent the wrong body and had misidentified it.
Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official told CNN that Israel had denied permission for a joint Hamas-Red Cross team to search the Israeli-occupied eastern region of Gaza, and accused Israel of obstructing the search for the rest of the dead hostages.
The official said Israel was “deliberately placing obstacles in the way of operations to search for the bodies of soldiers in the Gaza Strip.”
“We call on mediators and guarantors to be held accountable for their obstruction of the occupation and their attempts to mislead public opinion,” the official said.
On Sunday, CNN reported that Israeli forces had partially withdrawn from a small area they had occupied in Gaza to allow Hamas and the Red Cross to search for the remains of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier whose remains have remained in Gaza since the 2014 war.
Anger is growing in Israel over delays in returning hostage bodies as outlined in the cease-fire agreement. Demonstrators frequently gather in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square to demand the release of the remaining bodies.
Heavy equipment entered Gaza from Egypt this week to help search for the bodies of the hostages.
Hamas previously said it had handed over all accessible hostage remains, but that recovering more remains would require “huge efforts and special equipment.”
Israeli intelligence assesses that Hamas may not be able to locate and return all of the dead hostages remaining in Gaza. But Israel believes it knows the whereabouts of some of the dead hostages that Hamas claims are missing.
Two senior US advisers said the US had received assurances from Hamas through an independent mediator that it would do everything in its power to find and return the remaining bodies.
US Vice President J.D. Vance downplayed concerns about the fragility of the ceasefire, but last week refused to give a date for the return of all the dead hostages and the complete disarmament of Hamas.
“Everyone here is focused on getting the bodies back to their families so they can have a proper burial. That being said, this is difficult. It’s not going to happen overnight,” Vance said at a news conference in Israel.
US President Donald Trump has said he would consider allowing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume military action in Gaza if Hamas refuses to uphold the end of the ceasefire agreement.
Even after the ceasefire went into effect, Prime Minister Netanyahu insists that “the struggle is not over.”
Despite the tensions, a ceasefire has largely remained in place.
The deal was put to its first major test last week when two Israeli soldiers were killed in the Gaza Strip and Israel began airstrikes on the enclave.
After the attack, both Israel and Hamas reaffirmed their commitment to ceasefire terms.
Following the implementation of the cease-fire agreement, a series of US officials have made diplomatic visits to Israel, including the agreement’s key architects Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
In Gaza, many Palestinians have returned to the ruins of their former homeland after two years of war that caused widespread destruction.
Thousands of Palestinians are believed to be buried under the rubble.
Hamas moved quickly to regain control of parts of the Gaza Strip from which Israeli forces withdrew after the ceasefire was established. Uncertainty remains regarding the postwar governance of the Gaza Strip and its security if it is disarmed.
