A new wave of grief and tension swept across Israel Thursday after officials confirmed that the Red Cross was en route to receive several coffins containing the remains of hostages from Hamas in the central Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it had received information about the transfer but did not specify how many coffins were being handed over.
According to the IDF statement, the Red Cross will take custody of the bodies at a designated meeting point, marking another grim chapter in the aftermath of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack. “Israel continues to demand the immediate return of all deceased hostages,” the statement read.
This transfer comes amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations and a hostages-for-prisoners exchange deal between Israel and Hamas. Images from Gaza City on Tuesday showed Red Cross vehicles stationed beside armed guards, awaiting the handover of bodies.
In a troubling revelation earlier this week, Fox News reported that one of the coffins returned by Hamas actually contained the remains of a hostage whose body had already been recovered and buried nearly two years ago. The remains were confirmed to be those of Ofir Tzarfati, who was killed during the Oct. 7 attack.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said that parts of Tzarfati’s remains had been returned in March 2024, and Hamas later released a photo of his body in August that year.
“This is the third time we have been forced to open Ofir’s grave and rebury our son,” the Tzarfati family said in an emotional statement. “The circle supposedly ‘closed’ back in December 2023, but it never truly closes. Since then, we’ve lived with a wound that constantly reopens — between memory and longing, between bereavement and mission.”
A haunting image of Tzarfati’s “kidnapped” poster still stands at the Nova Festival memorial in Re’im, symbolizing the enduring pain of hundreds of Israeli families still waiting for closure.
Meanwhile, Hamas has announced it plans to transfer another hostage’s remains in the coming days, as pressure mounts from Israel and the international community — particularly following former U.S. President Donald Trump’s 48-hour warning to Hamas to comply with the ongoing humanitarian agreement.
According to Israeli officials, there are currently 13 deceased hostages whose remains are still held in Gaza — including two U.S. citizens, Itay Chen and Omer Neutra. To date, Israel has recovered the remains of 15 of the 28 confirmed deceased hostages.
Those whose remains have been returned include Aryeh Zalmanovich, Master Sgt. (Res.) Tamir Adar, Staff Sgt. Tal Haimi, Suntaya Akrasi, Ronen Tommy Engel, Eliyahu Margalit, Uriel Baruch, Staff Sgt. Tamir Nimrodi, Eitan Levi, Daniel Peretz, Yossi Sharabi, Guy Illuz, Bipin Joshi, Inbar Hayman, and Sgt. Major Muhammad Al-Atresh.
