Tel Aviv, Oct 29, (dpa/GNA) – The latest coffin handed over to Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, contained the remains of an Israeli hostage whose body was recovered by the military almost two years ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Tuesday.
The family of Ofir Tzarfati has been informed that additional remains were returned, it said in a statement.
He was abducted from the Nova Festival on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, and later declared dead.
The Israeli military said in December 2023 that it had brought Tzarfati’s remains back to Israel, where he was later buried.
Israeli media had previously reported that the remains handed over on Monday, evening did not belong to a missing hostage.
The remains were forensically examined after they arrived in Israel.
“This constitutes a clear violation of the agreement by the terrorist organization Hamas,” the statement by Nentanyahu’s office read.
It said the prime minister would hold talks with security heads, to discuss Israel’s response.
As part of the first phase of the US-led peace plan between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist group is required to hand over a total of 28 bodies.
Discounting these latest remains, 13 hostages’ bodies remain in Gaza.
Hamas released all living hostages on October 13, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
GNA