Hamas had agreed to return a hostage’s body to the IDF yesterday, and the returned partial remains were identified as Ofir Tzarfati, whose body was recovered in Gaza by the IDF two months after October 7. However, The Times of Israel reports that the terror group staged the burial and recovery of Tzarfati’s remains as caught on camera by an IDF drone.
Tzarfati, 27, was wounded and kidnapped on October 7 from the Nova music festival. The IDF declared him dead in November and recovered what was thought to be his full body from Gaza on December 1. Footage captured from the drone on Monday showed Hamas terrorists bringing newly identified remains of Tzarfati and placing them in a hole they had dug. Before the Red Cross showed up, Hamas covered the remains in dirt and acted like they were uncovered for the first time. The footage was released to the public today.
“We thought we had come full circle, that we were able to lay Ofir to rest. But today we discovered that we never received all of him,” Rachel Tzarfati said. “It’s incomprehensible to me: How can you bury your child in installments?”
“Each time we open the grave, my heart opens, and another little part of me is buried. And what turns the pain into something unbearable is the way Hamas chooses to play with the bodies of our boys. With our pain. With videos, manipulations, and vile shows,” she said.
“Hamas is torpedoing the deal on purpose, is lying to the world with fake shows of searching and locating,” Tzarfati added, referring to the ceasefire-hostage release deal.
Amid the horror, “there is also one moment of light,” which is the return of her son’s remains, she said. “I choose to remember Ofir not through the horrors, but through his life.”
Tzarfati was described by his family as a dreamer and lover of life. He graduated from the Navy and worked as an electrical engineer, while his hobbies included surfing, traveling, and tennis –his instructor was also murdered by Hamas. The Tzarfati family called Hamas’ deception and manipulation “continuous emotional abuse.”
The Fellowship prays for Tzarfati’s family, as their wounds have been continuously reopened since Ofir was taken and murdered. Even after agreeing to a ceasefire, Hamas manages to find new ways to hurt those who simply want to bury their loved ones in the Holy Land of Israel.
