Currently Online 
Remains returned by Hamas belong to captive Ofir Tzarfati: Israeli media
Israeli forensic analysts have determined that the latest remains handed over by Hamas are those of Ofir Tzarfati, who was taken to Gaza during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023 and whose partial remains were recovered in November of the same year.
Tzarfati’s family said the incident has retraumatised them. “We went to sleep tonight expecting and hoping that another family would close a two-year torturous circle and have their loved one returned for burial,” the family said in a statement cited by The Times of Israel. “But once again, there was a deception at the expense of our family as we try to recover.”
Hamas has yet to issue a formal statement about the latest dispute over the captive’s remains, but a source from the group, speaking to Al Jazeera Arabic, accused Israel of deliberately complicating their search process and “fabricating lies”.
Dispute over captive transfer being turned into ‘political theatre’
Israeli political analyst Ori Goldberg believes it is unlikely the dispute over the latest captive remains transferred to Israel by Hamas would derail the entire ceasefire, which the US and its regional partners are deeply invested in.
While there have been calls from Israeli far-right leaders Ben-Gvir and Smotrich to “destroy” or severely sanction Hamas over the incident, Netanyahu is ultimately “the only one who makes the decision”, Goldberg told Al Jazeera.
“This is a piece of political theatre, one in which Hamas is participating I suppose,” he said. “You can’t really tell whether Hamas is trying to pull a fast one over Israel or not, but this whole notion that the future, the present of the ceasefire, the assistance millions need so urgently, the chance to end a two-year genocidal campaign – that all of this will simply be thrown out because of a ‘violation’ is ridiculous.
“Obviously, the Americans have Netanyahu’s number. Obviously, he was given his marching orders,” Goldberg added. “The Americans are giving him some leeway because this is politics, but I really doubt you will see the ceasefire collapse, regardless of what Smotrich and his ilk have to say.”
Families of Israeli captives accuse Hamas of ‘dishonouring loved ones’, demand meeting with Netanyahu
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the main group representing relatives of Israeli captives, has demanded an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu after he said the latest remains returned by Hamas were those of a captive already recovered two years ago.
In a statement, the group accused Hamas of “cynical manipulation” and “dishonouring our loved ones”. “The Israeli government cannot and must not ignore this, and must act decisively against these violations,” said the group.
“Returning all hostages is the state’s obligation and a moral imperative – Hamas cannot be given a pass for violating the agreement.”
